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EVERYMAN'S    LIBRARY 
EDITED    BY    ERNEST    RHYS 


BIOGRAPHY 


VOLTAIRE'S  HISTORY 
OF  CHARLES  TWELFTH 
INTRODUCTORY  NOTE  BY 
RT.  HON.  JOHN  BURNS,  M.P. 


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LONDON:  J.  M.  DENT  &  SONS,  LTD. 
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VOLTAIRE'S 
HI  STORY  of 
CHARLES  XII 

KING 
SWEDEN 

Translated  6y 
WINIFRED  «-<D 
TODHUNTER 


LONDON:  PUBLISHED 
byJ-M-DENT  S-SONS-IS3 
AND  IN  NEW  YORK 
BY  E-P-  DUTTONSCO 


FIRST  ISSUE  OF  THIS  EDITION     .     1908 
REPRINTED         ....     1912 


PREFATORY  NOTE 

"  To  Charles  the  Twelfth  of  Sweden  I  owe  much 
of  what  has  stood  me  in  best  stead  all  my  life.  It 
was  nearly  thirty  years  ago,  when  but  a  boy,  that 
I  bought  his  Life  for  a  penny  in  the  New  Cut.  I 
took  it  home  and  devoured  it.  It  made  a  great 
impression  on  me.  Not  his  wars,  but  the  Spartan 
heroism  of  his  character.  He  inspired  me  with  the 
idea  of  triumphing  over  physical  weakness,  weari 
ness  and  pain.  To  inure  his  body  to  bear  all  manner 
of  hardships  indifferently,  to  bathe  in  ice,  or  face 
the  torrid  rays  of  the  sun,  to  discipline  his  physical 
powers  by  gymnastics,  to  despise  the  niceties  of 
food  and  drink,  to  make  his  body  an  instrument  as 
of  tempered  steel,  and  at  the  same  time  to  have  that 
body  absolutely  at  the  disposition  of  the  mind,  that 
seemed  to  me  conduct  worthy  of  a  hero.  And  so, 
boylike,  I  tried  to  imitate  him,  and  succeeded  at 
least  so  far  as  to  be  happily  indifferent  to  the  circum 
stances  of  my  personal  environment." 

JOHN  BURNS. 


"  Och  an  ar  det  likt  det  slagte  som  boi 

Bland  Nordiska  fjellar  och  dalar, 
Och  annu  pa  Gud  och  pi  Stalet  det  tror, 
An  fadernas  karnsprik  det  talar." 

And  still  as  of  old  are  the  folk  that  abide 
'Mid  northerly  mountain  and  valley  ; 

In  God  and  their  weapons  they  ever  confide, 
To  voice  of  their  fathers  they  rally. 


INTRODUCTION 

THE  "  Life  of  Charles  XII  "  that  Mr.  John  Burns 
once  bought  for  a  penny  in  the  New  Cut— an  inci 
dent  in  itself  historical  if  one  looks  at  it  in  the  right 
way — Was,  he  writes  to  say,  an  English  version  of 
Voltaire's  book.  The  "  Histoire  de  Charles  XII, 
Roi  de  Suede,"  was  first  published  at  Rouen  in 
1731,  first  freely  translated  into  English  by  Alex 
ander  Henderson  in  1734,  and  soon  afterwards 
reduced  into  a  chap-book,  which  made  the  King 
a  proverbial  hero  in  English  fairs  and  market 
places.  There  have  been  other  translations  since 
Henderson's,  and  it  is  now  retranslated  by  Miss 
Todhunter  with  a  closer  correspondence  than  his 
to  Voltaire's  original. 

The  book  may  claim  a  particular  right  to  an 
English  hearing,  apart  from  the  main  interest  of 
its  subject.  It  was  in  England  that  the  life  of 
Charles  XII  was  written  by  Voltaire,  when  he 
was  on  a  visit  of  exigency  there  after  the  Rohan 
escapade  and  his  second  Bastille  imprisonment. 
The  effect  of  this  stay  in  England  was  that  of  a 
determining  event  in  his  career.  "  Voltairism," 
writes  Mr.  John  Morley,  "  may  be  said  to  have 
begun  from  the  flight  of  its  founder  from  Paris  to 
London.  This,  to  borrow  a  name  from  the  most 
memorable  instance  of  outward  change  marking 
inward  revolution,  was  the  decisive  'hegira,'  from 
which  the  philosophy  of  destruction  in  a  formal 
shape  may  be  held  seriously  to  date."  We  may 
supplement  this  passage  from  the  criticism  of  a 
ix  A  2 


x  Introduction 

French  critic  of  another  school,  who  says,  "  Eng 
land  at  this  time  was  worked  by  a  spirit  of  dog 
matic  irreligion  which  based  itself  on  a  false 
erudition,  a  bold  criticism  and  an  insidious  meta- 
physic.  It  was  the  time  of  Woolston,  of  Toland, 
of  Tindal,  of  Chubb,  of  Collins,  of  Bolingbroke. 
Until  then,  an  insouciant  disciple  and  imitator  of 
the  epicureans  of  the  Temple  and  the  rou£s  of  the 
Regency,  Voltaire  had  only  ventured  on  impiety  by 
sallies;  dogmas  and  mysteries  had  so  far  only 
Inspired  him  with  bon  mots.  In  the  school  of  the 
English  philosophers  he  learnt  to  reason  out  his 
incredulity." 

Voltaire  had  had  time  by  this  to  mend  his  youth 
and  find  his  intellectual  stature.  Born  in  1694,  he 
was  now  a  man  approaching  thirty-three.  He  had 
written  plays,  for  his  love  for  the  theatre,  as  it 
lasted  late  in  him,  began  early;  he  had  completed 
his  epic,  "  la  Henriade  ";  he  had  used  his  wit  irre 
sponsibly,  and,  thanks  to  it,  had  twice  been  in  the 
Bastille.  In  England  he  learnt,  if  one  may  say  so, 
to  take  his  wit  seriously,  that  is,  to  realize  it  as  a 
decisive  weapon  in  his  inevitable  revolt  and  warfare. 
Similarly  he  was  to  use  some  of  his  other  faculties 
in  their  most  adroit  perfection.  If  in  the  "  Henri 
ade  "  the  epic  method  had  failed  him,  considered 
by  the  side  of  other  poems  as  ambitious  and  as 
long,  he  was  able  to  sit  down  on  his  return  from 
his  English  exile  and  complete  this  rapid  piece  of 
biography,  in  effect  a  short  prose  epic,  which 
shows  us  the  narrative  art  used  by  a  consummate 
master  in  that  art. 

More  than  this  we  need  not  claim  for  him.  If  we 
admit  Carlyle's  stigma  of  "  persifleur  "  as  apply 
ing  to  his  first  period,  we  need  not  go  on  to  write 
him  down  now  philosopher,  by  way  of  compensa 
tion,  because  he  had  studied  for  a  brief  period  under 


Introduction  xi 

certain  notorious  English  philosophers.  He  was 
neither  a  persifleur  nor  a  philosopher  :  he  was  a 
militant  scribe  and  hyper-critic  with  a  master  bias, 
anti-religious  or  anti-Catholic,  and  an  inimitable 
gift  of  expression.  We  see  his  gift  in  a  very  lumin 
ous  special  form  in  his  "  Charles  XII,"  which 
luckily  need  offend  no  man's  susceptibilities. 

We  do  not  know  whether  that  extraordinarily 
long  indicative  nose  of  his  was  at  this  time  as 
telling  a  sign  of  his  character,  backed  by  his  keen 
twinkling  black  eyes,  as  it  became  later?  The  two 
best  pen-portraits  of  Voltaire  we  have  belong  to  a 
later  day  than  1728,  when  "  Charles  XII  "  was 
written.  The  first  takes  us  to  the  year  when  his 
"  S^miramis  "  was  produced,  when  he  appears  in 
a  strange  disguise  among  the  casual  nightly  appari 
tions  of  the  Cafe  de  Procope. 

"  M.  de  Voltaire,  who  always  loved  to  correct  his 
works,  and  perfect  them,  became  desirous  to  learn, 
more  specially  and  at  first  hand,  what  good  or  ill 
the  public  were  saying  of  his  Tragedy;  and  it 
appeared  to  him  that  he  could  nowhere  learn  it 
better  than  in  the  Cafe  de  Procope,  which  was  also 
called  the  Antre  (Cavern)  de  Procope,  because  it 
was  very  dark  even  in  full  day,  and  ill-lighted  in 
the  evenings ;  and  because  you  often  saw  there  a 
set  of  lank,  sallow  poets,  who  had  somewhat  the 
air  of  apparitions.  In  this  cafe,  which  fronts  the 
Com^die  Franchise,  had  been  held,  for  more  than 
sixty  years,  the  tribunal  of  those  self-called 
Aristarchs,  who  fancied  they  could  pass  sentence 
without  appeal,  on  plays,  authors  and  actors.  M.  de 
Voltaire  wished  to  compear  there,  but  in  disguise 
and  altogether  incognito.  It  was  on  coming  out 
from  the  playhouse  that  the  judges  usually  pro 
ceeded  thither,  to  open  what  they  called  their  great 
sessions.  On  the  second  night  of  *  Se"miramis  ' 

A3 


xii  Introduction 

he  borrowed  a  clergyman's  clothes;  dressed  himself 
in  cassock  and  long  cloak ;  black  stockings,  girdle, 
bands,  breviary  itself;  nothing  was  forgotten.  He 
clapt  on  a  large  peruke,  unpowdered,  very  ill 
combed,  which  covered  more  than  the  half  of  his 
cheeks,  and  left  nothing  to  be  seen  but  the  end  of 
a  long  nose.  The  peruke  was  surmounted  by  a 
large  three-cornered  hat,  corners  half  bruised-in. 
In  this  equipment,  then,  the  author  of  *  Se"mi- 
ramis  '  proceeded  on  foot  to  the  Cafe"  de  Procope, 
where  he  squatted  himself  in  a  corner;  and  waiting 
for  the  end  of  the  play,  called  for  a  bavaroise,  a 
small  roll  of  bread,  and  the  Gazette.  It  was  not 
long  till  those  familiars  of  the  Parterre  and  tenants 
of  the  cafe"  stept  in.  They  instantly  began  discuss 
ing  the  new  Tragedy.  Its  partisans  and  its  adver 
saries  pleaded  their  cause  with  warmth;  each 
giving  his  reasons.  Impartial  persons  also  spoke 
their  sentiment;  and  repeated  some  fine  verses  of 
the  piece.  During  all  this  time,  M.  de  Voltaire, 
with  spectacles  on  nose,  head  stooping  over  the 
Gazette  which  he  pretended  to  be  reading,  was 
listening  to  the  debate;  profiting  by  reasonable 
observations,  suffering  much  to  hear  very  absurd 
ones  and  not  answer  them,  which  irritated  him. 
Thus,  during  an  hour  and  a  half,  had  he  the  courage 
and  patience  to  hear  *  Se"miramis  '  talked  of  and 
babbled  of,  without  speaking  a  word.  At  last,  all 
these  pretended  judges  of  the  fame  of  authors 
having  gone  their  ways,  without  converting  one 
another,  M.  de  Voltaire  also  went  off;  took  a  coach 
in  the  Rue  Mazarine,  and  returned  home  about 
eleven  o'clock.  Though  I  knew  of  his  disguise,  I 
confess  I  was  struck  and  almost  frightened  to  see 
him  accoutred  so.  I  took  him  for  a  spectre,  or  shade 
of  Ninus,  that  was  appearing  to  me;  or,  at  least, 


Introduction  xiii 

for  one  of  those  ancient  Irish  debaters,  arrived  at 
the  end  of  their  career,  after  wearing  themselves 
out  in  school-syllogisms.  I  helped  him  to  doff  all 
that  apparatus,  which  I  carried  next  morning  to  its 
true  owner — a  Doctor  of  the  Sorbonne." 

Another  cartoon,  still  better  known,  is  that  of  the 
familiar  scene  of  his  apotheosis  at  the  Com^die 
Franchise.  A  briefer  sketch  of  that  same  year  of 
his  death,  1778,  may  be  given,  because  it  contrasts 
with  his  sharp  sketch  of  Charles  XII  at  Adria- 
nople,  carried  on  a  sofa  from  his  carriage,  when, 
to  avoid  been  seen,  the  King  covered  his  face  with 
a  cushion — 

"  M.  de  Voltaire  appeared  in  full  dress  on  Tues 
day,  for  the  first  time  since  his  arrival  in  Paris.  He 
had  on  a  red  coat  lined  with  ermine ;  a  large  peruke, 
in  the  fashion  of  Louis  XIV,  black,  unpowdered ; 
and  in  which  his  withered  visage  was  so  buried 
that  you  saw  only  his  two  eyes  shining  like  car 
buncles.  His  head  was  surmounted  by  a  square 
red  cap  in  the  form  of  a  crown,  which  seemed  only 
laid  on.  He  had  in  his  hand  a  small  nibbed  cane ; 
and  the  public  of  Paris,  not  accustomed  to  see  him 
in  this  accoutrement,  laug'hed  a  good  deal." 

One  interesting  point  about  Voltaire's  English 
associations,  in  so  far  as  they  prepare  the  way  for 
the  writing  of  his  "  Charles  XII,"  has  not  hitherto 
been  pointed  out.  It  is  this  :  that  a  history  of  the 
"  Wars  of  Sweden,"  written  by  no  less  a  hand  than 
Defoe's,  was  in  existence  when  Voltaire  was  study 
ing  English  literature  in  London.  The  work,  or 
at  any  rate  its  first  part,  was  anonymously  pub 
lished,  like  Voltaire's,  in  1715;  a  continuation  was 
added,  and  the  two  parts  were  then  issued  together 
in  1720.  Between  these  two  dates,  let  us  note,  or 
in  1719,  "  Robinson  Crusoe  "  had  appeared. 


xiv  Introduction 

Defoe's  career  has  some  incidents  of  prison  and 
persecution  that  are  like  enough  to  Voltaire's  to 
warrant  a  fanciful  apposition  of  the  two  rebel 
authors.  He  was  in  severe  straits  when  he  wrote 
the  first  part  of  his  Wars  of  Charles  XII ;  deeply 
involved  in  political  intrigues.  He  had  had,  too,  a 
severe  illness — a  violent  fit  of  apoplexy — at  the  end 
of  the  previous  year ;  and  his  trial  for  libelling  Lord 
Annesley  in  the  whig  "  Flying  Post  "  was  impend 
ing.  His  sentence,  and  curious  escape  from  being 
imprisoned,  and  his  "  Hymn  to  the  Mob,"  have  at 
best  a  remote  bearing  on  the  present  book.  But  one 
notes  these  ironical  lines  to  the  Mob  as  having  an 
added  irony,  when  read  in  the  light  of  his  "  Charles 
XII  "  and  Voltaire's  interest  in  his  writings — 

"  Thou  art  the  Essence  of  the  War  ; 

Without  thee  who  wou'd  in  the  Field  appear? 

'Tis  all  thy  own,  whoever  gets  the  Praise — 

Thy  Hands  that  fight,  and  'tis  thy  purse  that  pays. 

How  partial  is  the  common  state  of  things, 

And  how  unjust  the  Fame  of  Emperors  and  Kings  !  " 

Defoe's  "  History  of  the  Wars  "  is  written  as 
"  by  a  Scots  gentleman  in  the  Swedish  service." 
It  is  a  more  documentary  book  than  Voltaire's,  to 
all  outward  appearance ;  and  in  it  he  has  written 
with  characteristic  fidelity  to  the  make-believe  of  his 
literary  double  the  pseudo  "  Scots  gentleman."  It 
has  much  the  air  of  the  off-hand,  matter-of-fact 
military  narrator,  who  does  not  look  for  rhetorical 
openings,  or  greatly  trouble  himself  to  make  the 
most  of  his  subject. 

In  his  preface  he  says  of  Charles  XII  :  "  He  has 
done  Actions  that  Posterity  will  have  room  to  Fable 
upon,  till  they  make  his  History  Incredible,  and 
turn  it  into  Romance."  The  romance  is  already 
in  process  in  Defoe's  pages.  The  following  passage 


Introduction  xv 

in  the  text  may  be  quoted  to  give  an  idea  of  his 
Scots  gentleman's  estimate  of  the  King — 

"  And  such  as  these  were  his  Discourses  to  us, 
who  were  his  Servants,  which  so  effectually  con- 
vinc'd  us,  that  his  Cause  was  just,  and  his  Founda 
tions  right,  that  however  black  the  Prospect  was, 
which  we  had  before  us;  for  we  could  see  nothing 
attending  us  in  the  Process  of  the  War,  but  Death, 
or  being  made  Prisoners  of  War,  which  among 
Northern  Princes  especially,  is  but  one  Degree  less 
in  its  Nature  to  a  Soldier;  and  yet  it  must  be  said, 
in  Honour  of  his  Sivedish  Majesty's  Service,  and  of 
his  Servants  too;  that  not  an  Officer  of  Note 
deserted  him  to  the  Day  of  his  Death,  or  quitted  his 
Service,  tho'  always  unfortunate;  nay,  even  the 
foreign  Officers  did  not  desert  him ;  for  we  all 
thought,  so  much  Virtue,  such  personal  Bravery, 
such  gallant  Principles,  such  immoveable  Steadi 
ness,  could  not  fail,  but  one  Time  or  other  must 
necessarily  have  a  Turn  of  Fortune  in  the  World, 
must  some  Time  or  other  find  Friends  to  support 
it :  For  who  could .  imagine,  that  so  gallant  a 
Prince  should  at  once  be  abandon 'd  of  all  the 
Princes  of  the  Earth,  from  whom  any  Assistance 
could  be  expected;  and  that  he,  whose  Ancestors 
had  been  the  Refuge  and  Sanctuary  of  all  the  Pro 
testant  Powers  and  Princes  in  Germany,  in  their 
Distress,  should  at  last  receive  Help  from  none  of 
the  Successors  of  those  very  Princes,  who  were 
establish 'd  by  the  Blood  and  Power  of  Sweden;  nay, 
to  apply  it  nearer,  should  at  last  be  driven  out  of  his 
Possessions  by  those  very  Powers,  whose  Ancestors 
ow'd  the  Being  of  their  Government,  to  the  Gal 
lantry  and  Friendship  of  the  King  of  Sweden's 
Predecessors." 

Other  extracts  might  be  made  which  would  show 
that  Defoe  was  writing  at  his  utmost  stretch  of 


xvi  Introduction 

speed  when  he  wrote  the  "  History."  This,  too, 
is  proved  by  the  occasional  gaps,  dates  left  blank, 
and  uncorrected  errors  of  fact,  or  of  the  press. 

Voltaire's  book,  on  the  other  hand,  though  it 
repeats  some  of  Defoe's  errors,  is  an  admirably 
adroit,  and  a  well-poised  and  considered  biography  : 
one  of  the  best  biographies  of  great  soldiers  ever 
given  to  the  world.  We  may  conclude,  if  we  will, 
that  Voltaire's  English  experiences  in  the  decisive 
years  of  the  writing  of  the  book,  which  un 
doubtedly  gave  a  new  force  and  impulse  to  his 
genius,  helped  him  also  to  his  particular  mastery 
in  this  vein.  His  tribute  to  England  in  his  "  Lettres 
Philosophiques  sur  les  Anglais  "  is  an  indirect 
testimony  to  his  intellectual  expatriation ;  and  with 
these  two  books  and  his  tragedy,  "Zaire,"  which 
followed  in  1732,  Voltaire  may  be  said  to  have 
attained  his  brilliant  majority. 

The  students  of  history  who  wish  to  collate  Vol 
taire's  book  with  later  authorities  may  be  recom 
mended  to  turn  to  Mr.  Nisbet  Bain's  volume  on 
Charles  XII,  in  the  "  Heroes  of  the  Nations  " 
series,  Mr.  Oscar  Browning's  monograph,  and 
Schuyler's  "  History  of  Peter  the  Great." 

E.  R. 

The  following  are  the  works  of  Voltaire — 

Dramatic  Works: — (Edipe.  1718;  Artemire,  1720: 
Mariamne,  1724;  Zaire,  1732;  Samson  (opera),  1732; 
L'Enfant  Prodigue,  1736 ;  Mahomet,  ou  le  Fanatisme, 
1742;  Merope,  1743  5  Semiramis,  1748;  Nanine,  1749; 
Oreste,  1750;  L'Orpheline  de  la  Chine,  1755;  Tancrede, 
1760;  L'Ecossaise,  1760;  Le  Depositaire,  1772;  Irene, 
1778;  Agathocles,  1779  (performed  on  the  anniversary  ot 
the  poet's  death).  Other  dramas  and  operas. 

Poems: — La  Bastille,  1717;  La  Henriade  (fraudulently 
published  as  La  Ligue,  1723-4)  1728;  Mort  de  Mile. 
Lecouvreur,  1730  ;  Temple  du  Goto,  1733  (prose  and  verse) ; 


Bibliography  xvii 

Le  Mondain,  1736;  Discours  sur  1'homme  (fipitres  sur  le 
Bonheur,  1738-9);  Sur  les  Evenements  de  1744;  Fontenoi, 
1745  ;  Temple  de  la  Gloire,  1745  ;  La  Pucelle  d'Orle'ans, 
1755  (some  of  the  "Chants"  had  been  in  circulation  since 
1735),  in  twenty  Chants,  1762  ;  a  supplemental  one,  "  La 
Capilotade,"  appeared  separately  in  1760  ;  Sur  le  desastre  de 
Lisbonne,  1756  ;  Sur  la  Loi  Naturelle,  1756;  La  Vanite,  Le 
Pauvre  Diable,  Le  Russe  a  Paris,  1760  ;  Contes  de  Guillaume 
Vade  (with  prose,  1764) ;  La  Guerre  Civile  de  Geneve 
(burlesque  poem),  1768  ;  Les  Trois  Empereurs  en  Sorbonne, 
1768;  Epitre  a  Borleau,  1769;  Les  Systemes,  Les  Cabales, 
1772  ;  La  Tactique,  1773  ;  and  others. 

Prose  Tales  : — Le  Monde  comme  il  va  (or  Babouc),  1746  ; 
Zadig,  1748  (published  in  1747  as  "  Memnon,  Histoire 
Orientelle") ;  Memnon,  ou  la  Sagesse  Humaine,  1749; 
Micromegas,  1750;  L'Histoire  d'un  Bon  Bramin,  1759; 
Candide,  1759;  Le  Blanc  et  Le  Nmr,  1764;  Jeannot  et 
Colin,  1764;  L'HommeauxQuaranteEcus,  1767  ;  L'Ingenu, 
1767  ;  La  Princesse  de  Babylone  1768  ;  Histoire  de  Jenny, 
1769:  Lettres  d'Amabed,  1769;  Le  Taureau  Blanc,  1774; 
Les  Oreilles  du  Comte  de  Chesterfield,  1774  ;  and  others. 

Historical  Works  : — Histoire  de  Charles  XII,  1731  ;  Siecle 
de  Louis  XIV,  1751  ;  enlarged  edition  1753  (two  chapters 
had  been  printed  and  suppressed  in  1739)  j  Abrege  de 
1'Histoire  Universelle,  vols.  i  and  ii,  1753;  vol.  iii,  1754; 
complete  edition,  1756  (fragments  had  appeared  in  1745)  ; 
Annales  de  1' Empire,  1753  ;  Precis  du  Siecle  de  Louis  XV, 
published  in  part  1755  an^  T763>  with  additional  chapters, 
1769;  Essai  sur  1'Histoire  Generale  et  sur  les  Mceurs  et 
1'Esprit  des  Nations  depuis  Charlemagne  jusqu'a  nos  jours, 
five  vols,  1756,  given  in  vol.  vii  of  Siecle  de  Louis  XIV 
(some  chapters  had  appeared  in  the  "  Mercure  "  in  1745-6) ; 
Histoire  de  Russie  sous  Pierre  le  Grand  :  first  part,  1759  ; 
second  part,  1763  ;  La  Philosophic  de  1'Histoire,  1765  (later 
the  "  Discours  preliminaire  "  to  "Essai  sur  les  Mceurs"); 
La  Defense  de  mon  Oncle  (in  reply  to  an  adverse  criticism 
on  the  above  work),  1767  ;  Le  Pyrrhonism  de  1'Histoire, 
1768;  Fragments  sur  1'Histoire  Generale  (Pyrrhonism  and 
Tolerance),  1773. 

Works  on  Philosophy  and  Religion  : — Epitre  philosophique 
a  Uranie,  1732  ;  Lettres  sur  les  Anglaises  (twenty-four  letters), 
I733>/  !734  (also  published  as  ".Lettres  Philosophiques") ; 
Traite  de  Metaphysique,  1734;  Elements  de  la  Philosophic 
de  Newton,  1738;  Metaphysique  de  Newton,  1740  ;  Articles 
for  the  Encyclopedic,  1757 ;  Dictionnaire  Philosophique 
Portatif,  1764  ;  Catechisme  de  1'Honnete  Homme,  1763  ;  Le 


xviii  Bibliography 

Philosophe  Ignorant,  1766;  La  Raison  par  Alphabet  (new 
edition  of  the  Dictionnaire  Philosophique),  1769  ;  Lettres  de 
Memmius,  1771  ;  Questions  sur  1' Encyclopedic  par  des 
Amateurs,  1770-2  ;  Lettres  Chinoises,  Indiennes,  et  Tartares 
par  un  Benedictin,  1776  ;  Memoires  pour  servir  a  la  vie  de 
M.  Voltaire  (printed  1784) ;  and  others. 

Critical  Works : — Essai  sur  la  Poesie,  1726  ;  Utile  Examen 
des  Epitresde  J.  J.  Rousseau,  1736  ;  Lettres  sur  la  "  Nouvelle 
Heloise,"  1761  ;  Appel  a  toutes  les  Nations  de  1' Europe  des 

"!..-••       »:n*-tto  jrl'im   A/-**-i  troi-r\    Ar^rrloic-  /1of*vr  Irr»oii7«  o  c  **  Pin   rTVl^afr/» 


Republi  .  ... 

Corneille  (with  translation  of  Shakespeare's  "Julius  Caesar  "), 
1764;  Examen  Important  de  Milord  Bolingbroke,  1767; 
Commentaire  Histprique  sur  les  QEuvres  de  1'auteur  de  la 
Henriade,  1776;  Eloge  et  Pensees  de  Pascal  (corrected  and 
enlarged  edition),  1776;  Commentaire  sur  1'Esprit  des  Lob 
de  Montesquieu,  1777  ;  and  others. 

Miscellaneous  Writings: — Epitres  aux  Manes  de  Genon- 
ville,  1729;  fipitre  des  Vous  et  des  Tu,  1732;  Sur  la 
Calomnie,  1733;  Anecdotes  sur  Pierre  le  Grand,  1748: 
Mensonges  Imprimes  (on  Richelieu's  Will)),  1749;  Des 
Embellissements  de  Paris,  1750  ;  Remerciement  sincere  a 
un  Homme  Charitable,  1750;  Diatribe  du  Doctor  Akakia, 
1752;  Les  Quand,  1760;  Writings  for  the  rehabilitation 
of  Jean  Galas,  who  had  been  unjustly  executed,  1762 ; 
Traite  sur  la  Tolerance  a  1'occasion  de  la  Mort  de 
Jean  Galas,  1763  ;  Le  Sentiment  des  Citoyens  (attack  on 
Rousseau),  1764;  Discours  aux  Welches,  1764;  Les  Anciens 
et  les  Modernes,  ou  la  Toilette  de  Mme.  de  Pompadour, 

1765  ;  Commentaires  sur  le  livre  des  delits  et  des  peines. 

1766  ;  Le  Cri  des  Nations  (against  Papal  domination),  1769  ; 
De  la  Paix  Perpetuelle  (on  fanaticism  and  tolerance),  1769; 
La   Meprise  d' Arras  (on  another  judicial   mistake),    1771  ; 
Eloge  de  Louis  XV;   de  la  Mort  de  Louis  XV  et  de  la 
Fatal  ite,  1774  ;  and  other  works. 

Editions  of  Voltaire's  works  include  a  few  works  on 
physics  and  an  enormous  correspondence. 

Chief  General  Editions  of  Works:— Ed.  Beaumarchais, 
etc.,  70  vols.  8°,  1784;  92  vols.  12°,  1785-90;  Beuchot,  70 
vols.,  1828,  etc.  ;  Ed.  du  Siecle,  8  vols.,  1867-70;  Molancl, 
50  vols.,  1877-83;  with  "Table  Generate  et  Analytique," 
by  Charles  Pierrot,  1885  ;  Selections  have  been  published, 
and  separate  volumes  of  letters. 

Bibliography  :— G.  Bengesco,  1882-90. 

Life,  etc. : — Condorcet,  1787  ;  G.  Desnoireterres,  "Voltaire 


Bibliography  xix 

et  la  Societe  Francaise  au  XVIIIme  Siecle,"  1871-76  ;  Long- 
champ  et  Wagniere,  "  Memoires sur  Voltaire,  et  ses  ouvrages," 
1825  ;  Bersot,  Etudes  sur  leXVIIIme  Siecle,  1855  ;  A.  Pier- 
ron,  "Voltaire  et  ses  Maitres,"  1866;  Maynard,  "Voltaire; 
sa  vie  et  ses  oeuvres,"  1867  ;  D.  F.  Strauss,  1870  ;  J.  Morley. 
1872,  1886  ;  James  Fasten,  2vols.,  1881  ;  G.  Maugras,  "  Vol- 
taire  et  Jean  Jacques  Rousseau,"  1886  ;  E.  Faguet,  1895  5 
E.  Champion,  "  Voltaire :  Etudes  Critiques,"  1897 ;  L. 
Cronsle,  1899 ;  G.  Lanson,  1907 ;  and  in  Sainte-Beuve, 
"Causeries  du  Lundi,"  vol.  ii;  Brunetiere,  "Etudes 
Critiques,"  vols.  i,  iii,  iv. 


TRANSLATOR'S   NOTE 


"  CHARLES  XII  "  was  written  during  the  years 
1727  and  1728.  It  is  more  than  170  years  since  it 
was  first  translated  into  English.  Opinions  of  its 
merits  differ  widely.  Macaulay,  classing  it  with 
Boswell's  "  Johnson  "  and  Marmontel's  "  M£m- 
oires,"  says  that  it  "  may  be  perused  with  delight 
by  the  most  frivolous  and  the  most  indifferent." 
Carlyle  goes  even  further:  "'Charles  XII,'"  he 
writes,  "  may  still  pass  for  a  model  in  that  oft- 
attempted  species  of  biography;  the  clearest  details 
are  given  in  the  fewest  words;  we  have  sketches 
of  strange  men  and  strange  countries,  of  wars, 
adventures,  negotiations,  in  a  style  which  for 
graphic  brevity  rivals  Sallust.  It  is  a  line  engrav 
ing  on  a  reduced  scale  of  that  Swede  and  his  mad 
life,  without  colours,  yet  not  without  the  fore- 
shortenings  and  perspectives  of  a  true  picture.  In 
respect  of  composition,  whatever  may  be  said  of  its 
accuracy  and  worth  otherwise,  we  cannot  but  reckon 
it  as  greatly  the  best  of  Voltaire's  histories." 

Adverse  criticism,  on  the  other  hand,  began  as 
early  as  1732,  when  La  Mottraye,  who  had  lived  on 
terms  of  intimacy  with  the  King,  wrote  a  scathing 
criticism  of  Voltaire's  work.  Voltaire  succeeded 
in  making  a  laughing-stock  of  this  gentleman,  but 
the  publication  of  the  works  of  Nordberg,  the 
King's  chaplain,  and  of  Adlerfelt,  his  chamberlain, 
shortly  afterwards,  did  bring  discredit  on  some  of 
Voltaire's  details.  Of  the  modern  school  of  critics, 


xxii          Translator's  Note 

Mr.  Nisbet  Bain,  who  has  made  a  special  study 
of  original  authorities,  does  not  hesitate  to  call  the 
book  a  "  romance." 

Underlying  this  difference  of  opinion  is  the  time- 
honoured  question  of  the  "  scientific  "  as  opposed 
to  the  "  epical  "  treatment  of  the  lives  of  the  great. 
The  history  of  any  great  man's  career  is  a  kind  of 
epic  poem,  and,  to  borrow  Mr.  Bin-ell's  words,  "  I 
do  not  see  why  we  children  of  a  larger  growth 
may  not  be  interested  in  the  annals  of  mankind 
simply  as  a  story." 

It  must,  indeed,  be  admitted  that  Voltaire  is  no 
precise  or  scientific  historian ;  but,  in  the  portrayal 
of  the  life  of  a  man  of  action,  rapidity  and  charm 
of  style  is  surely  as  important  as  the  careful  tracing 
of  cause  and  effect. 

Voltaire's  literary  style  is  famous;  but  work  of 
high  literary  merit  always  suffers  in  translation ; 
so  that  any  roughness  in  the  present  rendering  must 
be  attributed  to  the  translator  and  not  to  the  author. 

"  Ett  vet  jag  som  airing-  dor — 
Det  ar  dom  ofver  dod  man." 

One  thing-  I  know  that  never  dies — 
The  verdict  passed  upon  the  dead. 

"  The  history  of  Sweden  is  the  history  of  her 
kings,"  and  of  those  kings  the  most  striking  is 
undoubtedly  Charles  XII,  the  Lion  of  the  North. 
One  of  the  few  heroic  figures  in  a  prosaic  age,  he 
seems  to  belong  rather  to  the  times  of  Alfred  the 
Great  and  Charlemagne  than  to  those  of  Riche 
lieu  and  Louis  XIII.  He  has  well  been  called 
"  the  last  of  the  Vikings,"  for  the  extraordinary 
nature  of  his  adventures  no  less  than  his  dauntless- 
ness  and  endurance  make  him  a  kind  of  Saga-hero. 


Translator's  Note        xxiii 

The  stories  told  of  his  childhood  show  the  begin 
nings  of  those  Spartan  powers  of  enduring  hard 
ship  which  made  him  the  idol  of  his  "  brave  blue 
boys  "  in  later  life. 

It  is  said  that  at  the  age  of  six  he  almost  killed 
himself  by  leaving  his  bed  in  a  Swedish  mid-winter 
to  "  harden  himself  "  by  sleeping  on  the  bare 
boards.  The  obstinacy  which  was  the  most  marked 
characteristic  of  his  boyhood  developed  in  after 
years  into  the  resolution  with  which  as  a  mere 
youth  he  faced  the  treachery  of  his  neighbours. 
"  I  am  resolved,"  he  said  in  his  first  speech  to  his 
Parliament,  "  never  to  begin  an  unrighteous  war, 
but  I  am  also  resolved  never  to  finish  a  righteous 
war  until  I  have  completely  humbled  my  enemies." 

In  all  matters  of  convention  he  was  "  in  his 
simplicity  sublime."  He  cared  nothing  for  the  pomp 
of  sovereignty,  and  always  wore  a  soldier's  plain 
buff  coat;  he  took  his  meals  standing,  spreading 
the  bread  and  butter,  which  was  his  usual  fare, 
with  his  thumbs.  His  letters  to  his  sister  (whom 
he  addresses  as  "  mon  cceur  ")  are  full  of  real 
affection,  and  a  glance  at  them  dispels  the  popular 
illusion  that  he  was  cold  and  heartless,  just  because 
he  could  resist  the  blandishments  of  Anna  von 
Konigsm'arck ! 

Apart  from  occasional  lapses  into  the  fatalism 
characteristic  of  his  race,  he  seems  to  have  been 
devout.  Shortly  after  his  accession  he  ordered  the 
titles  "  Our  Most  Gracious  Majesty  "  to  be  removed 
from  the  liturgy,  on  the  ground  that  "  Almighty 
God  is  not  appeased  by  high-sounding  titles  but 
by  the  prayers  of  humble  and  faithful  hearts." 

He  was  the  last  to  lose  heart  in  adversity;  he 
lost  his  Empire  with  as  good  a  grace  as  he  won  it. 
'*  It  is  only  requisite,"  he  wrote  after  Pultawa, 


xxiv        Translator's  Note 

where  all  was  lost  but  honour,  "  not  to  lose  courage, 
or  let  go  the  conduct  of  affairs." 

His  early  death  was  a  disaster  not  only  for 
Sweden  but  for  the  whole  of  Europe,  for  he  was 
the  first  to  realize  and  check  the  growing  power 
of  Russia. 


BOOK    I 


HISTORY  OF  CHARLES  XII 

KING   OF   SWEDEN 
BOOK    I 

Outline  of  Swedish  history  up  to  the  time  of  Charles  XI 
—  Charles's  education  —  His  enemies  —  Character- 
sketch  of  the  Czar,  Peter  Alexiowitz — His  peculiar 
ities — Alliance  of  Russia,  Poland,  Denmark  against 
Charles  XII. 

THE  kingdom  which  is  made  up  of  Sweden 
and  Finland  is,  according  to  our  measurement, 
about  200  leagues  broad  and  300  long,  and 
stretches  from  south  to  north  as  far  as  the 
55th  degree  or  thereabouts.  The  climate  is 
severe;  there  is  scarcely  any  spring  or  autumn, 
but  there  are  nine  months  of  winter  in  the  year, 
and  the  heat  of  summer  follows  hard  upon 
the  excessive  cold  of  winter.  Frost  from  the 
month  of  October  onwards  is  continuous,  nor 
are  there  any  of  those  imperceptible  grada 
tions  between  the  seasons  which,  in  other 
countries,  render  changes  less  trying.  In  com 
pensation  Nature  has  endowed  the  Swedes  with 
clear  sky  and  pure  air.  The  summer  sunshine, 
which  is  almost  continuous,  ripens  fruit  and 
flowers  very  rapidly.  The  long  winter  nights 
are  shortened  by  the  twilight  evenings  and 


4       History  of  Charles  XII 

dawns,  which  last  in  proportion  to  the  sun's 
distance  from  Sweden ;  and  the  light  of  the 
moon,  unveiled  by  any  clouds,  and  intensified 
by  reflection  from  the  snow-clad  ground,  and 
often,  too,  by  lights  like  the  Aurora  Borealis, 
makes  travelling  in  Sweden  as  easy  by  night 
as  by  day. 

The    fauna    are    smaller    than    in    the    more 
central  parts  of  Europe,  on  account  of  the  poor 
pastures.     The  people  are  well  developed ;   the 
purity  of  the  air  makes  them  healthy,  and  the 
severity   of   the   climate   hardens    them.     They ) 
live  to  a  good  old  age  when  they  do  not  under-  I 
mine  their  constitutions  by  the  abuse  of  strong 
drink,   which  Northern  nations  seem  to  crave 
the  more  because  they  have  been  denied  them 
by  Nature. 

The  Swedes  are  well  built,  strong  and  active, 
and  capable  of  undergoing  the  most  arduous 
labours,  hunger  and  want;  they  are  born 
fighters,  high  spirited  and  daring  rather  than 
industrious.  They  have  long  neglected  com 
merce  and  are  still  poor  business  men,  though 
commerce  alone  can  supply  their  country's 
wants. 

Tradition  says  that  it  was  chiefly  from 
Sweden  (a  part  of  which  is  still  called  Goth 
land)  that  there  poured  those  hordes  of  Goths 
who  overran  Europe  and  wrested  it  from  the 
sway  of  Rome,  who  for  the  past  500  years 
had  played  the  role  of  tyrant,  usurper  and  law 
giver  in  that  country.  The  Northern  countries 


History  of  Charles  XII       5 

were  at  that  time  far  more  populous  than  they 
are  to-day ;  there  was  no  religious  restraint 
preventing  the  citizens  from  polygamy;  the 
only  reproach  known  to  the  womenfolk  was 
that  of  sterility  or  of  idleness,  and  as  they 
were  both  as  industrious  and  as  strong  as  the 
men,  the  period  of  maternity  was  of  longer 
duration. 

In  spite  of  this,  Sweden,  together  with  what 
remains  to  it  of  Finland,  has  not  above  4,000,000 
inhabitants.  The  soil  is  sterile  and  poor,  and 
Scania  is  the  only  district  which  produces 
barley.  There  is  not  more  than  four  millions 
current  money  in  the  whole  land.  The  public 
bank,  the  oldest  in  Europe,  was  established  to 
meet  a  want,  because,  as  payments  are  made 
in  brass  and  iron  coin,  difficulties  of  transport 
arose. 

Sweden  enjoyed  freedom  until  the  middle  of 
the  fourteenth  century ;  during  this  long  period 
several  revolutions  occurred,  but  all  innovations 
were  in  the  direction  of  liberty. 

The  chief  magistrate  had  the  title  King, 
which  in  different  countries  involves  very  differ 
ent  degrees  of  power.  Thus  in  France  and 
Spain  it  implies  an  absolute  monarchy,  while 
in  Poland,  Sweden  and  Finland  it  stands  for  a 
representative  or  limited  monarchy.  'In  Sweden 
the  King  was  powerless  without  the  Council, 
and  the  Council  in  turn  derived  its  powers  from 
the  Parliament,  which  was  frequently  convened. 
In  these  great  Assemblies  the  nation  was  repre- 


6       History  of  Charles  XII 

sented  by  the  nobility,  the  bishops,  and  deputies 
from  the  towns.  In  course  of  time  even  the 
peasantry,  that  section  of  the  community  which 
had  been  unjustly  despised  and  enslaved 
throughout  almost  the  whole  of  North  Europe, 
was  admitted  to  the  Parliament. 

In  about  1492  this  nation,  essentially  liberty- 
loving,  and  never  forgetful  of  the  fact  that  she 
had  conquered  Rome  thirteen  centuries  before, 
was  brought  into  subjection  by  a  woman  and 
a  nation  weaker  than  the  Swedes.  Margaret 
of  Valdemar,  the  Semiramis  of  the  North, 
Queen  of  Denmark  and  Norway,  conquered 
Sweden  partly  by  force  of  arms  and  partly  by 
means  of  diplomacy,  and  united  her  vast 
estates  into  one  kingdom. 

After  her  death  Sweden  was  rent  by  civil 
war;  she  alternately  shook  off  and  submitted 
to  the  Danish  yoke,  and  was  ruled  by  kings 
and  ministers  alternately.  In  about  1520  she 
passed  through  a  period  of  cruel  oppression 
at  the  hands  of  two  tyrants  :  one  was  Christian 
II,  King  of  Denmark,  a  monarch  with  all  the 
vices,  and  no  one  redeeming  feature ;  the  other, 
Archbishop  of  Upsala,  and  Primate  of  the  king 
dom,  was  as  cruel  as  the  former.  One  day 
these  two,  acting  in  concert,  had  the  consuls, 
the  magistrates  of  Stockholm  and  ninety-four 
senators  seized  and  massacred  by  the  execu 
tioners,  on  the  ground  that  they  had  been  ex 
communicated  by  the  Pope  for  having  defended 
the  State  against  the  Archbishop.  Whilst  these 


History  of  Charles  XII        7 

two  men,  united  in  oppression,  but  opposed 
when  it  was  a  question  of  dividing  the  spoil, 
were  exercising  the  utmost  tyranny  and  the 
cruelest  vengeance,  a  new  event  changed  the 
whole  aspect  of  affairs  in  the  North. 

Gustavus  Vasa,  a  youth  descended  from  the 
old  line  of  kings,  issued  from  the  depths  of 
the  forest  of  Delecarlia,  where  he  had  been  in 
hiding,  and  appeared  as  the  deliverer  of 
Sweden.  He  was  one  of  those  rare  products 
of  Nature,  a  great  genius  with  all  the  qualities 
of  a  commander  of  men.  His  noble  stature 
and  an  air  of  distinction  brought  him  adherents 
the  moment  he  appeared.  His  eloquence,  re 
inforced  by  his  good  looks,  was  all  the  more 
persuasive  because  it  was  unassumed.  His 
genius  led  to  the  conception  of  great  under 
takings,  which  ordinary  people  deemed  fool 
hardy,  but  which,  in  the  eyes  of  the  great, 
were  simply  brave.  His  never-failing  courage 
carried  him  through  all  difficulties.  He  com 
bined  valour  with  discretion,  was  essentially 
gentle  in  an  age  of  savagery,  and  had  a  reputa 
tion  for  uprightness,  as  far  as  that  is  possible 
for  a  party  leader. 

Gustavus  Vasa  had  been  a  hostage  of  Chris 
tian,  and  kept  prisoner  contrary  to  the  laws  of 
nations.  Having  escaped  from  prison  he  had 
wandered,  disguised  as  a  peasant,  in  the  moun 
tains  and  woods  of  Delecarlia;  there,  to  pro 
vide  himself  both  with  a  livelihood  and  with 
a  hiding-place,  he  found  himself  forced  to  work 


8       History  of  Charles  XII 

in  the  copper-mines.  While  buried  in  these 
vaults  he  dared  to  form  the  project  of  de 
throning  the  tyrant.  He  revealed  himself  to 
the  peasants,  and  impressed  them  as  a  man  of 
extraordinary  gifts,  whom  ordinary  men  in 
stinctively  obey.  In  a  short  time  he  turned 
these  barbarians  into  veterans.  He  attacked 
Christian  and  the  Archbishop,  gained  several 
victories  over  them,  and  drove  them  both  from 
Sweden.  Then  the  States  duly  elected  him 
King  of  the  country  which  he  had  liberated. 

Scarcely  was  he  firmly  seated  on  the  throne 
before  he  embarked  on  an  enterprise  of  greater 
difficulty  than  his  conquests.  The  real  tyrants 
of  the  State  were  the  bishops,  who,  possessing 
nearly  all  the  wealth  of  Sweden,  employed  it 
to  oppress  the  people  and  to  make  war  on  the 
kings.  This  power  was  all  the  more  terrible  be 
cause,  in  their  ignorance,  the  people  regarded 
it  as  sacred.  Gustavus  punished  the  Catholic 
Church  for  the  crimes  of  her  priests.  In  less 
than  two  years  he  introduced  Lutheranism  into 
Sweden,  using  as  a  means  diplomacy  rather 
than  force.  Having  thus,  as  he  put  it,  wrested 
the  kingdom  from  the  Danes  and  the  clergy, 
he  reigned  in  prosperity  and  absolutism,  and 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy,  leaving  his  dynasty 
securely  seated  on  the  throne,  and  his  form  of 
faith  firmly  established. 

One  of  his  descendants  was  that  Gustavus 
Adolphus  who  is  called  the  Great.  This  king 
conquered  Livonia,  Ingria,  Bremen,  Verden, 


History  of  Charles  XII        9 

Vismar,  Pomerania,  besides  more  than  a  hun 
dred  towns  in  Germany,  given  up  by  Sweden 
after  his  death.  He  shook  the  throne  of  Fer 
dinand  II,  and  protected  the  Lutherans  in 
Germany,  his  efforts  in  that  direction  being 
furthered  by  the  intrigues  of  Rome  herself, 
who  stood  more  in  awe  of  the  power  of  the 
Emperor  than  of  heresy  itself.  He  it  was 
who,  by  his  victories,  contributed  to  the  down 
fall  of  the  House  of  Austria,  an  undertaking 
accredited  to  Cardinal  Richelieu,  who  was  past 
master  in  the  art  of  gaining  a  reputation  for 
himself,  while  Gustavus  contented  himself  with 
great  deeds.  He  was  on  the  point  of  carrying 
war  across  the  Danube,  with  the  possibility  of 
dethroning  the  Emperor,  when,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-seven,  he  was  killed  in  the  battle  of 
Liitzen,  where  he  defeated  Valstein.  He  carried 
with  him  to  the  grave  the  title  of  "  Great," 
the  regrets  of  the  North,  and  the  esteem  of  his 
enemies. 

His  daughter  Christine,  an  extremely  gifted 
woman,  preferred  disputations  with  savants  to 
the  government  of  a  people  whose  knowledge 
was  confined  to  the  art  of  war. 

She  won  as  great  a  reputation  for  resigning 
the  throne  as  her  ancestors  had  gained  in 
winning  and  securing  it.  The  Protestants  have 
defamed  her,  as  if  Lutherans  have  the  mono 
poly  of  all  the  virtues ;  and  the  Papists  exulted 
too  much  in  the  conversion  of  a  woman  who 
was  a  mere  philosopher.  She  retired  to  Rome, 


io      History  of  Charles  XII 

where  she  passed  the  rest  of  her  life  surrounded 
by  the  arts  which  she  loved,  and  for  the  sake 
of  which  she  had  renounced  an  empire  at  the 
age  of  twenty-seven.  After  her  abdication  she 
induced  the  States  of  Sweden  to  elect  as  her 
successor  her  cousin  Charles  Gustavus,  the 
tenth  of  that  name,  son  of  the  Count  Palatinate, 
Duke  of  Deux  Fonts.  This  king  added  new 
conquests  to  those  of  Gustavus  Adolphus. 
First  he  invaded  Poland,  where  he  gained  the 
celebrated  three  days'  battle  of  Warsaw;  for 
some  time  he  waged  war  successfully  against 
the  Danes,  besieged  their  capital,  re-united 
Scania  to  Sweden,  and  secured  the  tenure  of 
Sleswick  to  the  Duke  of  Holstein.  Then,  hav 
ing  met  with  reverses,  and  made  peace  with  his 
enemies,  his  ambition  turned  against  his  own 
subjects. 

He  conceived  the  idea  of  establishing  absolut 
ism  in  Sweden,  but,  like  Gustavus  the  Great, 
died  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven,  before  having 
achieved  the  establishment  of  that  despotism 
which  his  son,  Charles  XI,  completed.  The 
latter,  a  warrior,  like  all  his  ancestors,  was 
more  absolute  than  them  all.  He  abolished 
the  authority  of  the  Senate,  which  was  declared 
to  be  a  royal  and  not  a  national  assembly.  He 
was  economical,  vigilant,  and  hard-working — 
in  fact,  such  a  king  as  would  have  been  popular 
had  not  fear  dominated  all  other  sentiments 
in  the  hearts  of  his  subjects.  He  married,  in 
1680,  Ulrica  Eleanora,  daughter  of  Ferdinand, 


History  of  Charles  XII       n 

King  of  Denmark,  a  virtuous  princess  worthy 
of  more  confidence  than  her  husband  gave  her ; 
the  offspring  of  this  marriage  was  Charles 
XII,  perhaps  the  most  extraordinary  man  ever 
born — a  hero  who  summed  up  in  his  person 
ality  all  the  great  qualities  of  his  ancestors, 
and  whose  only  fault  and  only  misfortune  was 
that  he  carried  them  all  to  excess.  It  is  of 
him,  and  all  that  is  related  of  his  actions  and 
person,  that  we  now  purpose  writing. 

The  first  book  they  gave  him  to  read  was 
Samuel  Puffendorf,  in  order  that  he  might 
become  early  acquainted  with  his  own  and 
neighbouring  States.  He  then  learned  German, 
which  he  henceforward  spoke  as  fluently  as  his 
mother  tongue.  At  seven  years  old  he  could 
manage  a  horse.  Violent  exercise,  in  which 
he  delighted  and  which  revealed  his  martial 
inclinations,  early  laid  the  foundation  of  a 
strong  constitution  equal  to  the  privations  to 
which  his  disposition  prompted  him. 

Though  gentle  enough  in  early  childhood  he 
was  unconquerably  obstinate ;  the  only  way  to 
manage  him  was  to  appeal  to  his  honour — he 
could  be  induced  to  do  anything  in  the  name 
of  honour.  He  had  an  aversion  to  Latin,  but 
when  he  was  told  that  the  Kings  of  Poland 
and  Denmark  understood  it,  he  learned  it 
quickly,  and  for  the  rest  of  his  days  remem 
bered  enough  to  speak  it.  Recourse  was  had 
to  the  same  means  to  induce  him  to  learn 
French,  but  he  was  so  obstinately  determined 


12      History  of  Charles  XII 

against  it  that  he  could  not  be  prevailed  upon 
to  use  it  even  with  French  ambassadors  who 
knew  no  other  language.  As  soon  as  he  had 
some  knowledge  of  Latin  they  made  him  trans 
late  Quintus  Curtius;  he  took  a  liking  to  the 
book  rather  for  the  subject  than  the  style.  The 
tutor  who  explained  this  author  to  him  asked 
him  what  he  thought  of  Alexander.  "  I  think," 
said  the  Prince,  "  that  I  would  like  to  be  like 
him."  "But,"  was  the  answer,  "he  only 
lived  thirty-two  years."  "Ah!"  replied  the 
Prince,  "  and  is  not  that  long  enough  when 
one  has  subdued  kingdoms?"  These  answers 
were  reported  to  the  King  his  father,  who 
exclaimed,  "That  child  will  excel  me  and  he 
will  even  excel  Gustavus  the  Great." 

One  day  he  was  amusing  himself  in  the 
King's  room  by  looking  over  some  geographical 
plans,  one  of  a  town  in  Hungary  taken  by  the 
Turks  from  the  Emperor,  and  the  other  of 
Riga,  capital  of  Livonia,  a  province  conquered 
by  the  Swedes  a  century  earlier.  At  the  foot 
of  the  map  of  the  Hungarian  town  was  this 
quotation  from  the  Book  of  Job,  "The  Lord 
gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away;  blessed 
be  the  name  of  the  Lord."  The  young  Prince 
read  these  words,  then  took  a  pencil  and  wrote 
beneath  the  map  of  Riga,  "  The  Lord  gave 
thee  to  me,  and  the  devil  shall  not  take  thee 
from  me."  Thus,  in  the  most  insignificant 
acts  of  his  childhood,  his  resolute  disposition 
revealed  traits  characteristic  of  greatness, 
showing  what  he  was  one  day  to  be. 


History  of  Charles  XII      13 

He  was  eleven  years  old  when  he  lost  his 
mother;  she  died  from  an  illness  brought  on 
by  the  anxiety  caused  her  by  her  husband  and 
by  her  own  efforts  to  conceal  it.  By  means 
of  a  kind  of  court  called  the  Chamber  of 
Liquidation,  Charles  XI  had  robbed  many  of 
his  subjects  of  their  property.  A  crowd  of 
citizens  ruined  by  this  court — merchants, 
farmers,  widows  and  orphans — filled  the  streets 
of  Stockholm,  and  daily  poured  forth  their 
useless  lamentations  at  the  gate  of  the  Palace. 
The  Queen  gave  all  her  substance  to  help  these 
poor  wretches  :  her  money,  jewels,  furniture 
and  even  her  clothes.  When  she  had  nothing 
left  to  give  them  she  threw  herself  weeping  at 
her  husband's  feet,  praying  him  to  have  com 
passion  on  his  subjects.  The  King  answered 
sternly,  "  Madam,  we  have  taken  you  that  you 
may  give  us  children,  not  advice."  Hencefor 
ward  he  is  reported  to  have  treated  her  with 
such  severity  that  he  shortened  her  life.  He 
died  four  years  after  her,  in  the  fifty-second 
year  of  his  age  and  the  thirty-seventh  of  his 
reign,  just  as  the  Empire,  Spain  and  Holland 
on  the  one  hand,  and  France  on  the  other,  had 
referred  the  decision  of  their  quarrels  to  his 
arbitration,  and  when  he  had  already  begun  the 
work  of  peace-making  between  these  powers. 

To  his  son  of  fifteen  he  left  a  kingdom 
secure  at  home  and  respected  abroad.  His 
subjects  were  poor,  but  brave  and  loyal ;  the 
treasury  in  good  order  and  managed  by  able 
ministers.  Charles  XII,  on  his  accession,  not 


14      History  of  Charles  XII 

only  found  himself  absolute  and  undisturbed 
master  of  Sweden  and  Finland,  but  also  of 
Livonia,  Carelia  and  Ingria;  he  possessed 
Wismar,  Vibourg,  the  Isles  of  Riigen,  Oesel, 
and  the  most  beautiful  part  of  Pomerania  and 
the  Duchy  of  Bremen  and  Verden,  all  con 
quests  of  his  ancestors,  assured  to  the  crown 
by  long  tenure  and  by  the  solemn  treaties  of 
Munster  and  Oliva,  strengthened  by  the 
prestige  of  Swedish  arms.  The  peace  of 
Ryswick,  begun  under  the  auspices  of  the 
father,  was  completed  by  the  son;  who  was 
thus  arbiter  of  Europe  from  the  beginning  of 
his  reign. 

Swedish  law  fixes  the  age  of  the  King's 
majority  at  fifteen  years;  but  Charles  XI,  who 
exercised  absolute  power  in  all  points,  deferred 
that  of  his  son,  by  will,  to  the  age  of  eighteen. 
By  this  will  he  favoured  the  ambitious  views 
of  his  mother,  Edwiga  Eleanora  of  Holstein, 
widow  of  Charles  X. 

This  Princess  was  nominated  by  Charles  XI 
guardian  of  her  grandson  and,  in  conjunction 
with  a  Council  of  six  persons,  regent  of  the 
kingdom.  The  regent  had  taken  part  in 
politics  during  the  reign  of  the  King  her  son. 
She  was  old,  but  her  ambition,  greater  than 
her  strength  and  ability,  made  her  hope  to 
enjoy  the  sweets  of  authority  long  during  the 
minority  of  the  King,  her  grandson.  She  kept 
him  away  from  public  business  as  far  as  pos 
sible;  the  young  Prince  passed  his  time  hunt- 


History  of  Charles  XII       15 

ing,  or  busied  himself  with  reviewing  his 
troops.  Sometimes  he  even  went  through  their 
exercises  with  them.  These  pursuits  seemed 
the  natural  outcome  of  the  vivacity  of  youth, 
and  there  was  nothing  in  his  conduct  to  alarm 
the  regent.  Then,  too,  she  flattered  herself 
that  the  dissipation  of  these  exercises  made 
him  unable  to  apply  himself,  and  so  gave  her 
the  opportunity  of  a  longer  regency.  One 
November  day,  the  very  year  of  his  father's 
death,  after  he  had  reviewed  several  regiments 
accompanied  by  the  State-councillor  Piper,  he 
was  standing  plunged  apparently  in  deep 
thought.  "  May  I  take  the  liberty,"  said  the 
latter  to  him,  "  of  asking  your  Majesty  of  what 
you  are  thinking  so  seriously?"  "  I  am  think 
ing,"  answered  the  Prince,  "  that  I  feel  worthy 
of  the  command  of  those  fine  fellows,  and  that 
it  is  not  my  will  that  either  they  or  I  should 
receive  our  orders  from  a  woman."  Piper  at 
once  seized  the  chance  of  making  his  fortune, 
and  realizing  that  his  own  influence  was  not 
strong  enough  for  him  to  venture  on  so  danger 
ous  an  enterprise  as  depriving  the  Queen  of  the 
regency,  and  declaring  the  King  of  age,  he 
proposed  the  matter  to  the  Count  Axel  Sparre, 
an  ambitious  and  aspiring  man,  pointing  to  the 
King's  confidence  as  a  likely  reward.  Sparre 
was  credulous,  undertook  the  business,  and 
worked  hard  in  Piper's  interests.  The  Coun 
cillors  of  the  Regency  were  drawn  into  the 
scheme,  and  vied  with  one  another  in  hastening 


1 6      History  of  Charles  XII 

the  execution  of  it  in  order  to  gain  the  King's 
favour.  They  went  in  a  body  to  propose  it  to 
the  Queen,  who  did  not  in  the  least  expect  such 
a  declaration. 

The  States-General  were  then  assembled, 
the  Councillors  of  the  Regency  laid  the  matter 
before  them,  and  they  voted  unanimously  for 
it.  The  affair  was  hastened  on  with  a  rapidity 
which  nothing  could  check;  so  that  Charles 
XII  merely  expressed  a  wish  to  rule,  and  within 
three  days  the  States  handed  over  the  govern 
ment  to  him.  The  power  and  influence  of  the 
Queen  melted  away  at  once.  Henceforth  she 
lived  in  private,  a  life  more  suited  to  her  age, 
but  less  to  her  taste. 

The  King  was  crowned  on  the  following 
24th  of  December.  He  made  his  entry  into 
Stockholm  on  a  sorrel  horse,  shod  with  silver, 
with  a  sceptre  in  his  hand,  and  amid  the  ac 
clamations  of  a  whole  nation — a  nation  always 
extravagantly  fond  of  novelty  and  full  of  great 
expectations  of  a  young  Prince. 

The  right  of  consecrating  and  crowning  the 
King  belongs  to  the  Archbishop  of  Upsala,  and 
is  almost  the  only  privilege  remaining  to  him 
from  among  a  number  claimed  by  his  predeces 
sors.  After  having  anointed  the  Prince  accord 
ing  to  custom,  he  was  holding  the  crown  ready 
to  put  on  his  head,  when  Charles  seized  it 
from  his  hands,  and,  with  a  proud  glance  at 
the  Prelate,  crowned  himself.  The  mob,  always 
impressed  by  a  touch  of  majesty,  applauded 


History  of  Charles  XII      17 

the  King's  action ;  even  those  who  had  suf 
fered  most  from  the  tyranny  of  the  father 
could  not  refrain  from  praising  the  pride  which 
was  the  inauguration  of  their  servitude. 

As  soon  as  Charles  was  master,  he  took 
Councillor  Piper  into  his  confidence,  and 
handed  over  the  direction  of  affairs  to  him,  so 
that  he  was  soon  Premier  in  all  but  name.  A 
few  days  later  he  made  him  Count,  a  title  of 
distinction  in  Sweden,  and  not,  as  in  France, 
an  empty  title  to  be  assumed  at  will.  The  first 
period  of  the  King's  rule  did  not  give  people 
a  good  impression  of  him ;  it  looked  as  if  he 
had  been  rather  impatient  of  rule  than  deserv 
ing  of  it.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  indulged  no 
dangerous  passions,  and  the  only  remarkable 
thing  about  him  seemed  to  be  youthful  fits  of 
rage  and  a  settled  obstinacy.  He  seemed  proud 
and  unable  to  apply  himself.  Even  the  ambas 
sadors  to  his  court  took  him  for  a  second-rate 
genius,  and  so  described  him  to  their  masters. 
The  Swedish  people  had  the  same  opinion  of 
him;  no  one  understood  his  character;  he  him 
self  had  not  realized  it,  when  storms  arising 
in  the  North  suddenly  gave  his  hidden  talents 
an  opportunity  of  displaying  themselves. 

Three  strong  princes,  taking  advantage  of 
his  extreme  youth,  made  simultaneous  plans 
for  his  ruin.  The  first  was  Ferdinand  IV,  King 
of  Denmark,  his  cousin;  the  second  Augustus, 
Elector  of  Saxony  and  King  of  Poland ;  the 
third,  and  most  dangerous,  was  Peter  the 

c 


1 8      History  of  Charles  XII 

Great,  Czar  of  Russia.  It  is  necessary  to 
explain  the  beginning  of  these  wars,  which 
had  such  great  results.  We  will  begin  with 
Denmark. 

Of  the  two  sisters  of  Charles  XII,  the  elder 
had  married  the  Duke  of  Holstein,  a  young 
prince  of  great  courage  and  kindliness.  The 
Duke,  oppressed  by  the  King  of  Denmark, 
came  to  Stockholm  with  his  consort,  in  order 
to  put  himself  under  the  King's  protection, 
and  ask  his  help,  not  only  as  a  brother-in-law, 
but  also  as  King  of  a  people  which  nourishes 
an  undying  hatred  for  the  Danes. 

The  ancient  house  of  Holstein,  merged  with 
that  of  Oldenburg,  was  elected  to  the  throne 
of  Denmark  in  1449.  All  the  Northern  king 
doms  were  at  that  time  elective,  but  that  of 
Denmark  shortly  after  became  hereditary.  One 
of  its  kings,  Christian  III,  had  an  affection  for 
his  brother  Adolphus  for  which  there  are  few 
parallels  in  history.  He  neither  wished  to  leave 
him  powerless,  nor  could  he  dismember  his 
own  States.  By  an  extraordinary  arrangement 
he  shared  with  him  the  duchies  of  Holstein- 
Gottorp  and  Sleswick.  The  descendants  of 
Adolphus  should,  in  future,  rule  Holstein  in 
conjunction  with  the  kings  of  Denmark,  so  that 
the  two  duchies  should  be  common  property, 
and  the  King  could  do  nothing  in  Holstein 
without  the  sanction  of  the  Duke,  and  vice 
versa.  This  extraordinary  union,  of  which 
there  had,  however,  been  a  parallel  instance 


History  of  Charles  XII       19 

a  few  years  previously,  was,  for  more  than 
eighty  years,  a  source  of  quarrels  between  the 
Denmark  and  Holstein  branches  of  the  dynasty, 
since  the  kings  always  made  it  their  policy  to 
oppress  the  dukes,  and  the  dukes  were  equally 
determined  on  independence.  The  struggle 
had  cost  the  last  Duke  his  liberty  and  his 
supremacy.  He  had  regained  both  at  the 
Conference  of  Altena  in  1689,  through  the 
mediation  of  Sweden,  Holland  and  England, 
the  guarantors  of  the  treaty. 

But  as  a  treaty  between  princes  is  often 
only  a  temporary  makeshift,  until  the  stronger 
is  able  to  oppress  the  weaker,  the  quarrel  be 
tween  the  new  Danish  King  and  the  young 
Duke  began  again  more  violently  than  ever. 
While  the  Duke  was  at  Stockholm,  the  Danes 
had  already  begun  hostilities  in  the  district  of 
Holstein,  and  had  made  a  secret  alliance  with 
the  King  of  Sweden  himself. 

Frederic  Augustus,  Elector  of  Saxony,  whom 
neither  the  eloquence  and  schemes  of  the  Abbe" 
de  Polignac,  nor  the  great  qualifications  of  the 
Prince  of  Conti,  his  competitor  for  the  throne, 
had  been  able  to  deprive  of  election  as  King 
of  Poland,  was  a  prince  still  more  famed  for 
his  courage  and  chivalrous  ideals,  than  for  his 
incredible  physical  strength.  His  court,  after 
that  of  Louis  XII,  was  second  to  none  in 
Europe  in  distinction.  There  was  never  a 
prince  more  generous  or  liberal,  nor  one  who 
gave  with  so  good  a  grace. 


20      History  of  Charles  XII 

He  had  bought  half  the  votes  of  the  Polish 
nobility,  and  gained  the  other  half  by  force  on 
the  approach  of  a  Saxon  army.  He  considered 
it  better  to  keep  a  standing  army  to  strengthen 
himself  on  the  throne ;  but  he  wanted  a  pretext 
for  keeping  it  in  Poland.  He  had,  in  fact, 
planned  to  send  it  against  the  King  of  Sweden, 
on  the  occasion  we  are  now  going  to  relate. 

Livonia,  the  most  beautiful  and  fertile  pro 
vince  of  the  North,  had  once  belonged  to  the 
Knights  of  the  Teutonic  order.  The  Russians, 
Poles,  and  Swedes  had  since  severally  disputed 
their  claim  to  it.  Sweden  had  enjoyed  it  for 
nearly  one  hundred  years,  and  was  solemnly 
confirmed  in  possession  of  it  by  the  Peace  of 
Oliva. 

The  late  King  Charles  XI,  in  his  severity  to 
his  subjects,  had  not  spared  the  Livonians. 
He  robbed  them  of  their  privileges  and  part  of 
their  estates.  Patkul,  who  from  his  unhappy 
death  has  since  gained  the  notoriety  of  misfor 
tune,  was  deputed  by  the  nobility  of  Livonia 
to  lay  their  grievances  before  the  King.  His 
speech  to  his  master  was  respectful,  but  strong 
and  full  of  the  rugged  eloquence  begotten  of 
calamity  and  courage.  But  kings  too  often 
regard  public  speeches  as  vain  ceremonies, 
which  they  must  endure  without  paying  atten 
tion  to.  But  Charles  XI,  who,  when  he  did 
not  give  way  to  transports  of  rage,  knew  how 
to  act  a  part,  patted  Patkul  gently  on  the 
shoulder  and  said,  "  You  have  spoken  for  your 


History  of  Charles  XII      21 

country  like  a  brave  man  ;  I  honour  you  for  it. 
Proceed."  But  a  few  days  after  he  had  Patkul 
declared  guilty  of  high  treason  and  condemned 
to  death. 

Patkul,  who  had  hidden,  took  to  flight,  and 
carried  his  resentment  to  Poland.  Some  time 
after  he  was  admitted  to  the  court  of  King 
Augustus.  Charles  XI  was  dead,  but  the 
sentence  of  Patkul  was  not  annulled,  and  he 
was  still  most  resentful.  He  pointed  out  to  the 
King  of  Poland  how  easily  Livonia  could  be 
conquered ;  the  people  were  in  despair,  and 
eager  to  shake  off  the  Swedish  yoke ;  the  King 
was  only  a  child,  and  unable  to  defend  himself. 
These  proposals  were  well  received  by  a  prince 
who  had  long  meditated  this  conquest.  Pre 
parations  were  immediately  made  for  a  sudden 
invasion  of  Sweden,  empty  formalities  of 
ultimata  and  manifestoes  being  dispensed  with. 

At  the  same  time  the  storm  darkened  on  the 
Russian  frontier.  Peter  Alexiowitz,  Czar  of 
Russia,  had  already  made  his  name  feared  by 
the  battle  in  which  he  defeated  the  Turks  in 
1697,  and  by  the  conquest  of  Azov,  which 
gave  him  the  control  of  the  Black  Sea.  But 
the  actions  which  won  him  the  title  of  ' '  The 
Great  "  were  far  more  glorious  than  conquests. 

Russia  occupies  the  whole  of  Northern  Asia 
and  Europe,  and  from  the  frontiers  of  China 
extends  1,500  leagues  to  the  borders  of  Poland 
and  Sweden.  Yet  the  existence  of  this  im 
mense  country  was  not  even  realized  by  Europe 


22      History  of  Charles  XII 

before  the  time  of  the  Czar  Peter.  The  Rus 
sians  were  less  civilized  than  the  Mexicans  at 
the  time  of  their  discovery  by  Cortez ;  born 
the  slaves  of  masters  as  barbarous  as  them 
selves,  they  were  sunk  deep  in  ignorance,  and 
unacquainted  with  the  arts  and  sciences,  and 
so  insensible  of  their  use  that  they  had  no 
industry.  An  old  law,  held  sacred  among-  them, 
forbade  them,  on  pain  of  death,  to  leave  their 
own  country  without  the  permission  of  their 
Patriarch.  Yet  this  law,  avowedly  enacted  to 
prevent  them  from  realizing  their  state  of  bond 
age,  was  agreeable  to  a  people  who,  in  the 
depths  of  their  ignorance  and  misery,  disdained 
all  commerce  with  foreign  nations. 

The  era  of  the  Russians  began  with  the 
creation  of  the  world;  they  reckoned  up  7,207 
years  at  the  beginning  of  the  last  century, 
without  being  able  to  give  any  reason  why  they 
did  so.  The  first  day  of  the  year  corresponded 
to  our  1 3th  of  September.  The  reason  they 
gave  for  this  was  that  it  was  probable  that 
God  created  the  world  in  autumn,  in  a  season 
when  the  fruits  of  the  earth  are  in  full 
maturity  ! 

Thus  the  only  traces  of  knowledge  found 
among  them  were  founded  on  gross  mistakes; 
not  one  of  them  suspected  that  autumn  in 
Russia  might  be  spring  in  another  country  in 
the  antipodes.  Not  long  before,  the  people 
were  for  burning  the  secretary  of  the  Persian 
ambassador,  because  he  had  foretold  an  eclipse 


History  of  Charles  XII      23 

of  the  sun.  They  did  not  even  know  the  use 
of  figures,  but  in  all  their  calculations  made 
use  of  little  beads  strung  on  wire;  and  this 
was  their  method  of  reckoning  in  all  their 
counting-houses,  and  even  in  the  treasury  of 
the  Czar. 

Their  religion  was,  and  still  is,  that  of  the 
Greek  Church,  but  intermingled  with  super 
stitions,  to  which  they  firmly  adhered  in  pro 
portion  to  their  absurdity  and  their  exacting 
nature.  Few  Russians  dare  eat  a  pigeon,  be 
cause  the  Holy  Ghost  is  portrayed  in  form  of  a 
dove.  They  regularly  kept  four  Lents  a  year, 
and  during  that  time  might  eat  neither  eggs  nor 
milk.  God  and  St.  Nicholas  were  the  objects 
of  their  worship,  and  next  to  them  the  Czar 
and  the  Patriarch.  The  authority  of  the  latter 
was  as  boundless  as  the  people's  ignorance. 
He  had  power  of  life  and  death,  and  inflicted 
the  crudest  punishments,  from  which  there  was 
no  appeal.  Twice  a  year  he  rode  in  solemn 
procession,  ceremoniously  attended  by  all  the 
clergy;  and  the  people  prostrated  themselves 
in  the  streets  before  him,  like  the  Tartars 
before  their  Grand  Lama. 

They  practised  confession,  but  only  in  the 
case  of  the  greatest  crimes;  and  then  absolu 
tion  was  held  necessary,  but  not  repentance; 
they  believed  themselves  purified  in  God's  sight 
as  soon  as  they  received  the  priest's  benedic 
tion.  Thus  they  passed  without  remorse 
straight  from  confession  to  theft  or  murder; 


24      History  of  Charles  XII 

so  that  a  practice  which,  in  the  case  of  other 
Christians,  acts  as  a  deterrent,  was,  in  their 
case,  only  an  incentive  to  crime.  They  scrupled 
to  drink  milk  on  a  fast-day,  but  on  festivals 
fathers  of  families,  priests,  matrons  and  maids 
got  inebriated  with  brandy.  As  in  other  coun 
tries  they  had  religious  differences  among 
themselves,  but  the  most  important  cause  of 
dispute  was  whether  laymen  should  make  the 
sign  of  the  cross  with  two  fingers  or  with  three, 
and  a  certain  Jacob  Nursoff  had,  during  a  pre 
vious  reign,  raised  a  rebellion  on  this  question. 

The  Czar,  in  his  vast  kingdom,  had  many 
subjects  who  were  not  Christians ;  the  Tartars, 
on  the  west  coast  of  the  Caspian,  and  the 
Palus  Ma3Otis  were  Mahometans ;  while  the 
Siberians,  Ostiacs  and  Samoides,  who  live  near 
the  Baltic,  were  pagans.  Some  of  these  were 
idolaters,  and  some  were  without  God  in  the 
world ;  still,  in  spite  of  that,  the  Swedes,  who 
were  sent  as  prisoners  among  them,  report 
more  favourably  of  their  manners  than  those 
of  the  ancient  Russians. 

Peter  Alexiowitz  had  received  an  education 
which  tended  to  increase  the  barbarity  of  his 
part  of  the  world.  His  disposition  led  him  to 
like  strangers  before  he  knew  they  could  be  use 
ful  to  him.  Le  Fort  was  the  first  instrument 
that  he  made  use  of  to  change  the  face  of 
Russia.  Peter's  mighty  genius,  checked  but  not 
destroyed  by  a  barbarous  education,  suddenly 
broke  out;  he  resolved  to  act  a  man's  part,  to 


History  of  Charles  XII      25 

hold  command  of  men  and  to  create  a  new 
nation.  Several  princes  before  him  had  re 
nounced  their  thrones,  from  distaste  for  public 
business,  but  there  was  no  instance  of  a  prince 
resigning  that  he  might  learn  to  rule  better, 
as  Peter  the  Great  did.  He  left  Russia  in 
1698,  before  the  completion  of  the  second  year 
of  his  reign,  and  took  a  journey  into  Holland, 
under  an  ordinary  name,  as  if  he  were  the 
domestic  servant  of  M.  le  Fort,  whom  he 
appointed  ambassador-extraordinary  to  the 
States-General.  When  he  reached  Amsterdam 
he  entered  his  name  on  the  list  of  ships '-car 
penters  to  the  Indian  Admiralty,  and  worked 
in  the  dockyard  like  other  carpenters.  In  his 
leisure  time  he  learned  those  branches  of 
mathematics  which  might  prove  useful  to  a 
prince,  e.  g.  such  as  related  to  fortifications, 
navigation,  and  the  making  of  plans.  He 
went  into  the  workmen's  shops,  examined  all 
their  manufactures,  and  let  nothing  escape  his 
notice.  Thence  he  passed  to  England,  where 
he  perfected  himself  in  the  science  of  ship 
building,  and,  returning  to  Holland,  carefully 
investigated  everything  which  might  be  of  use 
in  his  own  country. 

At  last,  after  two  years  of  travel  and  labour 
which  nobody  else  would  have  willingly  under 
gone,  he  reappeared  in  Russia,  bringing  thither 
with  him  the  arts  of  Europe.  A  band  of 
artists  of  all  kinds  followed  him,  and  then  for 
the  first  time  great  Russian  vessels  were  to 


26      History  of  Charles  XII 

be    seen    on    the    Black    Sea,    the    Baltic,    and 
even    on    the    ocean.     Imposing    buildings    of 
architectural    merit    were    set    up    amidst    the 
Russian    huts.      He    founded    colleges,    acade- 
I  mies,  printing-houses  and  libraries.     The  great 
towns   were   civilized;    and   gradually,    though 
not   without  difficulty,   the  dress   and  customs 
of  the  people  were  changed,  so  that  the  Rus 
sians  learned  by  degrees  what  social  life  really 
is.      Even   their   superstitions    were   abolished, 
the  Czar  declared  head  of  the  Church,  and  the 
influence   of    the    Patriarch    suppressed.      This 
last  undertaking  would  have  cost  a  less  abso 
lute  Prince  his  throne  and  his  life,  but  in  the 
case  of  Peter  not  only  succeeded,  but  assured 
his   success  in  all  his  other  innovations. 
I       Peter,  having  subdued  the  ignorant  and  bar- 
!  barous    clerical    orders,    dared    to    venture    to 
Ij  educate  them,  and  so  ran  the  risk  of  making 
'  them   a   power  in   the   State — but   he   believed 
that  he  was  strong  enough  to  take  this  risk. 

In  the  few  monasteries  which  remained  he 
had  philosophy  and  theology  taught;  though 
this  theology  was  only  a  survival  of  the  age 
of  barbarity  from  which  Peter  had  rescued  his 
country.  A  credible  witness  assured  the  writer 
that  he  had  been  present  at  a  public  debate, 
where  the  question  was  whether  the  use  of 
tobacco  was  a  sin;  the  proposer  argued  that 
it  was  lawful  to  intoxicate  oneself  with  brandy, 
but  not  to  smoke,  because  the  Holy  Scriptures 
say  that,  "  Not  that  which  goeth  into  the 


History  of  Charles  XII      27 

mouth  defileth  a  man;  but  that  which  cometh 
out  of  the  mouth,  this  defileth  a  man." 

The  monks  were  not  content  with  the  reform. 
Scarcely  had  the  Czar  set  up  printing-presses 
than  they  made  use  of  them  to  abuse  him. 
They  called  him  Antichrist,  because  he  had 
the  men's  beards  cut  off,  and  because  post 
mortem  dissection  was  practised  in  his  academy. 
But  another  monk,  who  wanted  to  make  his 
fortune,  wrote  refuting  this  argument,  and 
proving  that  Peter  was  not  Antichrist  because 
the  number  666  was  not  included  in  his  name  ! 
The  author  of  the  libel  was  broken  on  the 
wheel,  and  his  opponent  made  Bishop  of 
Rezan. 

The  Reformer  of  Russia  carried  a  law  which 
puts  to  shame  many  a  civilized  state;  by  this 
law  no  member  of  the  civil  service,  no  "  bour 
geois  "  with  an  established  position,  and  no 
minor,  might  enter  a  monastery.  Peter  quite 
grasped  the  importance  of  not  allowing  useful 
subjects  to  take  up  idleness  as  a  profession,  nor 
those  who  had  not  yet  command  of  the  least 
part  of  their  fortune  to  renounce  liberty  for 


ever. 


The  Czar  not  only,  after  the  example  of  the 
Turkish  Sultans,  subjected  the  Church  to  the 
State,  but,  by  a  greater  stroke  of  policy,  he 
destroyed  a  band  of  troops  like  the  Janissaries ; 
and  that  which  the  Ottoman  Emperors  failed 
to  do,  he  succeeded  in  very  rapidly ;  he  dis 
banded  the  Russian  Janissaries,  called  Strelitz, 


28      History  of  Charles  XII 

who  had  dominated  the  Czars.  This  band, 
feared  rather  by  its  masters  than  its  neigh 
bours,  consisted  of  about  30,000  infantry,  half 
stationed  at  Moscow,  and  the  other  half  at 
various  points  on  the  frontier;  a  member  of 
the  Strelitz  only  drew  pay  at  the  rate  of  four 
roubles  a  year,  but  privileges  and  abuses 
amply  made  up  for  this. 

Peter  at  first  formed  a  band  of  mercenaries, 
in  which  he  had  himself  enrolled,  and  was  not 
too  proud  to  begin  as  drummer-boy,  so  much 
were  the  people  in  need  of  good  example.  He 
became  officer  by  degrees,  made  new  regiments 
from  time  to  time,  and  at  last,  finding  himself 
at  the  head  of  disciplined  troops,  broke  up  the 
Strelitz,  who  were  afraid  to  disobey  him. 

The  cavalry  resembled  that  of  Poland,  and 
that  of  France  in  the  days  when  France  was 
only  a  collection  of  fiefs.  Russian  noblemen 
took  the  field  at  their  own  expense,  and  en 
gaged  without  discipline,  and  sometimes  un 
armed  but  for  a  sabre  and  a  quiver;  they  were 
quite  unused  to  discipline,  and  so  were  always 
beaten. 

Peter  the  Great  taught  them  to  obey,  both 
by  example  and  by  punishment.  For  he 
himself  served  as  a  soldier  and  subordinate 
officer,  and  as  Czar  severely  punished  the 
"boyards,"  as  the  noblemen  were  called,  who 
argued  that  the  privilege  of  the  nobility  was 
to  serve  the  State  in  their  own  way.  He  insti 
tuted  a  regular  corps  of  artillery,  and  seized 


History  of  Charles  XII      29 

500  church  bells  to  cast  cannon.  By  the  year 
1714  he  had  13,000  brass  cannon.  He  also 
formed  a  corps  of  dragoons,  a  form  of  arm 
both  suited  to  Russian  capacity  and  for  which 
their  horses,  which  are  small,  are  particularly 
fit. 

Russia  has,  at  the  present  day  (1738),  thirty 
well-equipped  regiments  of  dragoons  of  1,000 
men  each. 

He  it  was,  too,  who  established  the  hussars 
in  Russia;  he  even  got  a  school  of  engineers 
in  a  country  where  he  was  the  first  to  under 
stand  the  elements  of  geometry. 

He  was  a  good  engineer  himself;  but  he 
excelled  especially  in  seamanship.  As  he  was 
born  with  an  extreme  fear  of  the  sea,  it  is  all 
the  greater  credit  to  him  that  he  was  a  good 
captain,  a  skilful  pilot,  a  good  seaman,  and  a 
clever  carpenter.  Yet  in  his  young  days  he 
could  not  cross  a  bridge  without  a  shudder; 
and  he  had  the  wooden  shutters  of  his  carriage 
closed  on  these  occasions.  It  was  his  courage 
and  will  which  led  him  to  overcome  this  consti 
tutional  weakness. 

He  had  built  on  the  Gulf  of  Tanais,  near 
Azov,  a  fine  port;  his  idea  was  to  keep  a  fleet 
of  galleys  there,  and  as  he  considered  that 
these  long,  flat,  light  craft  would  be  successful 
in  the  Baltic,  he  had  300  of  them  built  in  his 
favourite  town  of  Petersburg.  He  taught  his 
subjects  how  to  construct  them  from  ordinary 
fir,  and  then  how  to  manage  them. 


30    .  History  of  Charles  XII 

The  revenue  of  the  Czar  was  inconsiderable, 
compared  with  the  immense  size  of  his  em 
pire.  It  never  exceeded  twenty-four  millions, 
reckoning  the  mark  as  £50,  as  we  do  at  the 
present  moment ;  but,  after  all,  only  he  is  rich 
who  can  do  great  deeds.  Russia  is  not  densely 
populated,  though  the  women  are  prolific  and 
the  men  are  strong.  Peter  himself,  by  the 
very  civilization  of  his  empire,  contributed  to 
its  population.  The  causes  of  the  fact  that 
there  are  still  vast  deserts  in  this  great  stretch 
of  the  continent  are  to  be  sought  in  frequent 
recruiting  for  unsuccessful  wars,  the  transport 
ing  of  nations  from  the  Caspian  to  the  Baltic, 
the  destruction  of  life  in  the  public  works,  the 
ravages  wrought  by  disease  (three-quarters  of 
the  children  dying  of  small-pox),  and  the  sad 
result  of  a  means  of  government  long  savage, 
and  barbarous  even  in  its  civilization.  The 
present  population  of  Russia  consists  of  500,000 
noble  families,  200,000  lawyers,  rather  more 
than  5,000,000  "bourgeois"  and  peasants 
paying  a  kind  of  poll-tax,  and  600,000  men  in 
the  provinces  conquered  from  the  Swedes ;  so 
that  this  immense  realm  does  not  contain 
more  than  14,000,000  men;  that  is  to  say,  two- 
thirds  of  the  population  of  France. 

The  Czar  Peter,  having  transformed  the 
manners,  laws,  militia,  and  the  very  face  of  his 
country,  wished  also  to  take  a  prominent  part 
in  commerce,  which  brings  both  riches  to  a 
State  and  advantages  to  the  whole  world.  He 


History  of  Charles  XII      31 

intended  to  make  Russia  the  centre  of  Asian 
and  European  trade.  The  Volga,  Tanais, 
and  Duna  were  to  be  united  by  canals,  of  which 
he  drew  the  plans,  and  new  ways  were  to  be 
opened  from  the  Baltic  to  the  Euxine  and  the 
Caspian,  and  from  these  to  the  Northern 
Ocean. 

In  the  year  1700  he  decided  to  build  on  the 
Baltic  a  port  which  should  be  the  mart  of  the 
North,  and  a  town  which  should  be  the  capital 
of  his  empire,  because  the  port  of  Archangel, 
ice-bound  for  nine  months  in  the  year,  and  the 
access  to  which  necessitated  a  long  and  dan 
gerous  circuit,  did  not  seem  to  him  convenient. 
Already  he  was  seeking  a  passage  to  China 
through  the  seas  of  the  north-east,  and  the 
manufactures  of  Paris  and  of  Pekin  were  to 
enrich  his  new  town. 

A  road  of  754  versts,  made  across  marshes 
which  had  to  be  first  filled,  led  from  Moscow 
to  his  new  town.  Most  of  his  projects  were 
carried  out  by  his  own  hand,  and  two  Em 
presses  who  succeeded  him  successively  carried 
out  his  policy  whenever  practicable,  and  only 
abandoned  the  impossible. 

He  made  tours  throughout  his  empire  when 
ever  he  was  not  engaged  in  active  warfare. 
But  he  travelled  as  lawgiver  and  natural  philo 
sopher.  He  carefully  investigated  natural  con 
ditions  everywhere,  and  tried  to  correct  and  to 
perfect.  He  himself  plumbed  rivers  and  seas, 
had  locks  made,  visited  the  timber-yards,  ex- 


32      History  of  Charles  XII 

amined  mines,  assayed  metals,  planned  accu 
rate  maps,  and  worked  at  them  with  his  own 
hand. 

He  built,  in  a  desolate  district,  the  imperial 
town  of  Petersburg,  which,  at  the  present  day, 
contains  60,000  houses,  and  where  there  has 
arisen  in  our  day  a  brilliant  Court,  and  where 
the  greatest  luxury  is  to  be  had.  He  built  the 
port  of  Cronstadt  on  the  Neva,  Sainte-Croix 
on  the  frontiers  of  Persia,  and  forts  in  the 
Ukraine  and  in  Siberia,  docks  at  Archangel, 
Petersburg,  Astrakan,  and  at  Azov ;  besides 
arsenals  and  hospitals.  His  own  residences  he 
built  small  and  in  bad  style,  but  his  public 
buildings  were  magnificent  and  imposing.  The 
sciences,  which  in  other  parts  have  been  the 
slow  product  of  centuries,  were,  by  his  care, 
introduced  into  his  empire  in  full  perfection. 
He  made  an  academy,  modelled  on  the  famous 
institutions  of  Paris  and  London ;  at  great  ex 
pense  men  like  Delisle,  Bulfinger,  Hermann, 
Bernouilli,  were  summoned  to  Petersburg. 
This  academy  is  still  in  existence,  and  is  now 
training  Russian  scholars. 

He  compelled  the  younger  members  of  the 
nobility  to  travel  to  gain  culture,  and  to  return 
to  Russia  polished  by  foreign  good  breeding. 
I  have  met  young  Russians  who  were  quite 
men  of  the  world,  and  well-informed  to  boot. 

It  is  shocking  to  realize  that  this  reformer 
lacked  the  cardinal  virtue  of  humanity.  With 
so  many  virtues  he  was  yet  brutal  in  his  plea- 


History  of  Charles  XII      33 

sures,  savage  in  his  manner,  and  barbarous  in 
seeking  revenge.  He  civilized  his  people,  but 
remained  savage  himself.  He  carried  out  his 
sentences  with  his  own  hands,  and  at  a  debauch 
at  table  he  displayed  his  skill  in  cutting  off 
heads.  There  are  in  Africa  kings  who  shed 
the  blood  of  their  subjects  with  their  own 
hands,  but  these  monarchs  pass  for  barbarians. 
The  death  of  one  of  his  sons,  who  ought  to 
have  been  punished  or  disinherited,  would  make 
his  memory  odious,  if  the  good  he  did  his  sub 
jects  did  not  almost  atone  for  his  cruelty  to  his 
own  family. 

Such  a  man  was  Peter  the  Czar,  and  his 
great  plans  were  only  sketched  in  outline  when 
he  united  with  the  kings  of  Poland  and  Den 
mark  against  a  child  whom  they  all  despised. 

The  founder  of  Russia  resolved  to  be  a 
conqueror;  he  believed  the  task  an  easy  one, 
and  felt  that  a  war  so  well  launched  would 
help  him  in  all  his  projects.  The  art  of  war 
was  a  new  art  in  which  his  people  needed 
lessons. 

Besides,  he  wanted  a  port  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Baltic  for  the  execution  of  his  great 
plans.  He  needed  Ingria,  which  lies  to  the 
north-east  of  Livonia.  The  Swedes  possessed 
it,  and  it  must  be  seized  from  them.  His  an 
cestors,  again,  had  had  rights  over  Ingria, 
Estonia,  and  Livonia ;  it  seemed  the  right  time 
to  revive  these  claims,  which  not  only  dated 
from  a  hundred  years  back,  but  had  also  been 

D 


34      History  of  Charles  XII 

annulled  by  treaties.  He  therefore  concluded 
a  treaty  with  the  King  of  Poland  to  take 
from  Sweden  the  districts  which  lie  between 
the  Gulf  of  Finland,  the  Baltic,  Poland  and 
Russia. 


BOOK    II 


BOOK    II 

Sudden  and  extraordinary  transformation  in  the  char 
acter  of  Charles  XII — At  the  age  of  eighteen  he 
carries  on  war  with  Denmark,  Poland  and  Russia — 
He  concludes  the  war  with  Denmark  in  six  weeks — 
Beats  an  army  of  80,000  Russians  with  8,000  Swedes, 
and  proceeds  to  Poland — Description  of  Poland  and 
its  Government — Charles  wins  several  victories,  and 
conquers  Poland,  where  he  makes  preparations  to 
nominate  a  king. 

THUS  three  powerful  kings  were  threatening 
the  throne  of  the  boy-king,  Charles  XII. 
Rumours  of  these  preparations  dismayed  the 
people,  and  alarmed  the  King's  Council.  The 
great  generals  were  dead ;  everything  was  to 
be  feared  under  a  young  king  who  had  so  far 
made  a  bad  impression  on  people.  He  was 
hardly  ever  present  at  the  Council  without 
crossing  his  legs  on  the  table ;  he  seemed  too 
absent-minded  and  callous  to  take  part  in  any 
business. 

The  dangerous  position  of  affairs  was  de 
liberated  by  the  Council  in  his  presence,  and, 
as  some  Councillors  were  proposing  to  divert 
the  storm  by  means  of  negotiation,  Charles 
suddenly  rose  from  his  seat  with  the  deter 
mined  air  of  a  man  of  resolution  who  has 
decided  on  a  course  of  action.  "  Gentlemen," 
he  said,  "  I  have  resolved  never  to  engage  in 
an  unjust  war,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  never 
to  conclude  a  just  war  but  by  the  ruin  of  my 
37 


38      History  of  Charles  XII 

foes.  I  have  made  up  my  mind.  I  intend  to 
attack  the  first  who  declares  war  against  me, 
and  when  I  have  conquered  him  I  hope  to  strike 
terror  into  the  rest."  This  speech  amazed  the 
old  Councillors ;  they  exchanged  glances  with 
out  venturing  a  reply,  and  finally,  astonished 
at  this  revelation  of  their  king's  courage,  and 
ashamed  to  show  less  courage  than  he,  they 
received  his  orders  for  the  war  cordially. 

They  were  still  more  surprised  when  they 
observed  that  he  suddenly  renounced  all  the 
most  innocent,  youthful  pleasures.  From  the 
moment  that  he  began  to  prepare  for  war  he 
entered  on  a  new  mode  of  life,  from  which  he 
never  afterwards  departed  in  one  particular. 
With  Alexander  and  Caesar  as  his  ideals,  he  set 
himself  the  task  of  imitating  those  conquerors 
in  everything  but  their  vices. 

He  renounced  all  magnificence,  pastimes  and 
recreations,  and  reduced  his  menu  to  the  utmost 
frugality.  He  had  affected  display  in  dress, 
but  in  future  wore  the  uniform  of  a  common 
soldier.  There  had  been  a  rumour  that  he  had 
entertained  a  passion  for  a  lady  of  the  Court. 
But  whether  this  was  true  or  not,  it  is  certain 
that  he  abstained  from  the  society  of  women 
for  ever  after,  not  only  to  avoid  coming  too 
much  under  their  influence,  but  that  he  might 
prove  to  his  soldiers  his  determination  to  live 
under  the  severest  discipline ;  possibly,  too,  he 
wished  to  pose  as  the  only  Prince  who  had 
conquered  so  difficult  a  temptation.  He  also 


History  of  Charles  XII      39 

resolved  to  abstain  from  wine  for  the  rest  of 
his  life.  Some  people  say  that  he  made  this 
resolve  in  order  to  curb  nature  in  every  particu-, 
lar,  and  to  add  a  new  virtue  to  his  heroism ; 
but  the  majority  say  that  he  took  this  means 
of  punishing  himself  for  an  excess  which  he 
had  once  committed,  leading  to  an  insult  offered 
to  a  lady  at  table  in  the  presence  of  his  mother. 
If  that  was  so,  his  self-condemnation  and  the 
life-long  deprivation  which  he  imposed  on  him 
self  are  none  the  less  to  be  admired. 

He  began  operations  by  a  promise  of  relief 
to  his  brother-in-law,  the  Duke  of  Holstein. 
Eight  thousand  men  were  immediately  sent  to 
Pomerania,  a  province  bordering  on  Holstein, 
to  protect  the  Duke  against  the  attacks  of  the 
Danes.  The  Duke  certainly  needed  them ;  his 
dominions  were  already  ravaged,  his  castle  at 
Gottorp  taken  and  the  town  of  Tonning  closely 
besieged,  the  King  of  Denmark  being  there  in 
person,  to  enjoy  a  conquest  of  which  he  felt 
certain.  This  spark  enflamed  the  empire. 
On  one  side  the  Saxon  troops  of  the  King  of 
Poland  and  those  of  Brandenburg,  Volfenbuttel 
and  Hesse-Cassel  marched  to  join  the  Danes. 
On  the  other  the  King  of  Sweden's  8,000  men, 
the  troops  of  Hanover  and  Zell,  and  three 
Dutch  regiments  came  to  the  help  of  the  Duke. 

While  the  little  country  of  Holstein  was  thus 
made  the  theatre  of  war  two  squadrons,  one 
from  England  and  the  other  from  Holland, 
appeared  in  the  Baltic. 


40      History  of  Charles  XII 

These  two  States  were  guarantors  of  the 
treaty  of  Altena,  which  the  Danes  had  broken, 
and  they  were  all  the  more  eager  to  relieve  the 
oppressed  Duke,  as  it  was  to  the  interest  of 
their  trade  to  prevent  the  growth  of  the  power 
of  the  King  of  Denmark.  For  they  knew  that 
the  Danes,  when  they  once  had  control  of  the 
Sound,  would  lay  heavy  dues  on  the  trading 
nations,  as  soon  as  they  were  strong  enough 
to  do  so. 

The  English  and  the  Dutch  had,  for  this 
reason,  kept,  as  far  as  possible,  the  balance  of 
power  equal  between  the  princes  of  the  North ; 
they  joined  the  King  of  Sweden,  who  seemed 
on  the  point  of  being  overwhelmed  by  many 
enemies  acting  in  concert,  and  helped  him  for 
the  same  reason  that  the  others  attacked  him, 
viz.  because  they  thought  him  incapable  of 
self-defence. 

He  was  bear-hunting  when  he  got  news  of 
the  invasion  of  Livonia  by  the  Saxons.  He 
was  conducting  the  hunt  in  a  way  as  dangerous 
as  novel;  the  only  arms  used  were  forked 
cudgels,  behind  a  net  stretched  between  trees ; 
a  bear  of  enormous  size  rushed  straight  at  the 
King,  who,  after  a  long  struggle,  brought  it 
to  the  ground,  with  the  help  of  his  net  and 
cudgel. 

He  started  for  his  first  campaign  on  the  8th 
of  May,  new  style,  in  the  year  1700.  He  left 
Stockholm  never  to  return. 

An  immense  crowd  of  people  went  with  him 


History  of  Charles  XII      41 

as  far  as  Carlscroon,  praying-  for  him  and 
weeping-  and  praising  him.  Before  he  left 
Stockholm  he  established  a  Council  of  Defence, 
composed  of  Senators.  This  commission  was 
to  have  charge  of  all  that  concerned  the  fleet, 
the  troops  and  fortifications.  The  Senate  was 
to  provisionally  regulate  all  other  internal 
affairs.  Having  thus  arranged  all  securely 
within  his  dominions  he  concentrated  entirely 
on  the  war.  His  fleet  consisted  of  forty-three 
vessels,  that  in  which  he  embarked,  called  the 
King  Charles,  was  the  largest  they  had  ever 
seen,  and  carried  120  guns;  Count  Piper,  his 
Prime  Minister,  and  General  Renschild  em 
barked  with  him.  He  joined  the  squadron  of 
the  allies ;  the  Danish  fleet  refused  an  engage 
ment,  and  gave  the  united  fleets  the  opportunity 
of  coming  so  near  Copenhagen  that  they  could 
throw  some  bombs  into  the  town. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  it  was  the  King  him 
self  who  then  proposed  to  General  Renschild 
that  they  should  disembark  and  besiege  Copen 
hagen  by  land  while  it  was  invested  by  sea. 
Renschild  was  astonished  at  a  proposal  which 
displayed  in  a  young  and  inexperienced  Prince 
as  much  skill  as  courage.  Soon  all  was  ready 
for  the  disembarkment ;  orders  were  given  for 
the  embarkation  of  3,000  men  who  were 
stationed  on  the  coast  of  Sweden,  and  who 
were  added  to  the  men  they  had  on  board. 
The  King  left  his  large  ship  and  embarked  on 
a  lighter  frigate ;  then  they  sent  300  grenadiers 


42      History  of  Charles  XII 

in  small  vessels  along  the  coast.  Among  these 
vessels  were  small,  flat-bottomed  boats,  which 
carried  the  fagots,  chevaux  de  frise  and  the 
weapons  of  the  pioneers. 

Five  hundred  picked  men  followed  in  other 
shallops.  Then  came  the  King's  men-of-war 
with  two  English  and  two  Dutch  frigates, 
whose  cannon  were  to  cover  the  landing  of  the 
troops.  Copenhagen,  the  capital  of  Denmark, 
is  situated  in  the  island  of  Zeeland,  in  the 
midst  of  a  beautiful  plain,  which  has  the  Sound 
on  the  north-west  and  the  Baltic  on  the  east, 
where  the  King  of  Sweden  then  had  his  posi 
tion.  At  the  unexpected  movement  of  the 
vessels  which  threatened  invasion,  the  inhabit 
ants,  dismayed  by  the  inactivity  of  their  own 
fleet  and  by  the  motion  of  the  Swedish  ships, 
looked  round  in  terror  to  see  on  what  point 
the  storm  would  burst.  Charles's  fleet  stopped 
before  Humblebek,  seven  miles  from  Copen 
hagen.  The  Danes  immediately  drew  up  their 
cavalry  on  this  spot.  The  infantry  were  placed 
behind  deep  entrenchments,  and  all  the  artillery 
forthcoming  was  directed  against  the  Swedes. 

The  King  then  left  his  frigate  to  embark  on 
the  first  boat  at  the  head  of  his  guards.  The 
ambassador  of  France  was  constantly  at  his 
elbow.  "  Sir,"  said  the  King  to  him  in  Latin, 
for  he  never  would  speak  French,  "you  have 
no  quarrel  with  the  Danes,  and  must  now 
oblige  me  by  retiring."  <(  Sir,"  answered  the 
Count  de  Guiscard,  in  French,  "the  King  my 


History  of  Charles  XII      43 

master  has  commanded  me  to  attend  your 
Majesty;  and  I  flatter  myself  that  you  will 
not  banish  me  from  your  Court,  which  has  never 
been  so  brilliant  as  to-day. "  With  these  words 
he  gave  his  hand  to  the  King,  who  leapt  into 
the  boat,  followed  by  Count  Piper  and  the 
ambassador. 

They  advanced  supported  by  the  broadsides 
of  the  vessels  which  were  covering  the  descent. 
The  small  boats  were  within  a  hundred  yards 
of  the  shore  when  Charles,  impatient  of  the 
delay  in  landing,  threw  himself  from  the  boat 
into  the  sea,  sword  in  hand,  and  with  the 
water  up  to  his  waist,  and  in  spite  of  a  shower 
of  musket-shot,  discharged  by  the  Danes,  his 
ministers,  the  ambassador  of  France,  and 
officers  and  soldiers  followed  his  example.  The 
King,  who  had  never  before  heard  a  discharge 
of  loaded  muskets,  asked  Major  Stuart,  who 
stood  next  to  him,  what  that  whistling  was  in 
his  ears.  "It  is  the  sound  of  the  muskets 
they  are  firing  at  you,"  said  the  Major. 
"  Ah  !"  remarked  the  King,  "  that  shall  hence 
forth  be  my  band."  At  that  very  moment  the 
Major,  who  had  explained  the  noise  to  him, 
was  shot  in  the  shoulder,  and  a  lieutenant  fell 
dead  at  the  other  side  of  the  King. 

Troops  attacked  in  entrenchments  are 
generally  beaten,  because  the  attacking  party 
has  an  impetus  which  defenders  cannot  have ; 
besides,  waiting  for  the  enemy  in  one's  lines  is 
often  a  confession  of  inferiority. 


44      History  of  Charles  XII 

After  a  faint  resistance  the  Danish  horse  and 
foot  fled.  As  soon  as  the  King  had  seized  their 
entrenchments  he  fell  on  his  knees  to  thank 
God  for  the  first  success  of  his  arms.  He 
immediately  had  redoubts  formed  in  the  direc 
tion  of  the  town,  and  himself  marked  out  the 
line  of  the  encampment.  At  the  same  time  he 
sent  his  fleet  back  to  Scania,  a  part  of  Sweden 
not  far  from  Copenhagen,  to  get  reinforce 
ments  of  9,000  men.  Everything  conspired  to 
second  Charles's  energetic  efforts;  the  9,000 
men  were  on  the  shore  ready  to  embark,  and 
the  very  next  day  a  favourable  wind  brought 
them  to  him. 

All  this  happened  within  sight  of  the  Danish 
fleet,  which  had  not  dared  to  advance.  Copen 
hagen,  in  consternation,  sent  deputies  to  the 
King  to  ask  him  not  to  bombard  the  town. 
He  received  them  on  horseback  at  the  head  of 
his  regiment  of  guards,  and  the  deputies  fell 
on  their  knees  before  him.  He  demanded  of 
the  town  four  hundred  thousand  dollars,  with 
all  sorts  of  provisions  for  the  camp,  for  which 
he  gave  his  word  of  honour  to  pay.  They 
brought  him  the  provisions,  because  they  dare 
not  refuse,  but  did  not  expect  that  the  con 
querors  would  condescend  to  pay  for  them ; 
and  those  who  brought  them  were  astonished 
to  find  that  they  were  paid  generously  by  the 
humblest  soldier  in  the  army.  The  Swedish 
troops  had  long  been  accustomed  to  the  strict 
discipline  which  contributed  not  a  little  to  their 


History  of  Charles  XII      45 

victories,  but  the  young  King  increased  its 
severity.  A  soldier  would  not  have  dared  to 
refuse  payment  for  what  he  bought,  much  less 
maraud,  or  even  go  out  of  the  camp.  He  even 
easily  brought  his  troops  to  keep  his  rule  that 
the  dead  should  not  be  stripped  after  a  victory 
without  his  permission.  Prayers  were  said  in 
camp  twice  a  day,  at  seven  in  the  morning  and 
five  in  the  afternoon,  and  he  never  failed  to 
be  present  at  them  himself  and  to  give  his 
soldiers  an  example  of  piety  as  well  as  of 
valour. 

His  camp,  which  was  far  better  governed 
than  Copenhagen,  had  everything  in  abund 
ance;  and  the  country  folk  preferred  to  sell 
their  goods  to  their  enemies  the  Swedes  than 
to  their  own  countrymen,  who  did  not  pay  so 
good  a  price  for  them.  So  it  happened  that  the 
townsmen  were  often  obliged  to  fetch  goods, 
which  were  unobtainable  in  their  own  markets, 
from  the  King  of  Sweden's  camp. 

The  King  of  Denmark  was  then  in  Holstein, 
whither  he  seems  to  have  marched  only  to  raise 
the  siege  of  Tonning.  He  saw  the  Baltic 
covered  with  his  enemies'  ships,  and  a  young 
conqueror  already  master  of  Zeeland  and  ready 
to  take  possession  of  the  capital.  He  pub 
lished  a  declaration  that  whoever  took  up  arms 
against  the  Swedes  should  gain  their  liberty. 
This  declaration  had  great  influence  in  a 
country  which  had  once  enjoyed  freedom,  but 
where  all  the  peasants  and  many  even  of  the 


46      History  of  Charles  XII 

townsmen  were  then  serfs.  Charles  sent  word 
to  the  King  of  Denmark  that  he  must  make  up 
his  mind  either  to  do  justice  to  the  Duke  of 
Holstein,  cr  have  his  kingdom  laid  waste  with 
fire  and  sword. 

The  Danes  were,  indeed,  fortunate  in  dealing 
with  a  conqueror  who  prided  himself  on  his 
justice.  A  congress  was  summoned  to  meet  in 
the  town  of  Tevendal  on  the  frontiers  of  Hol 
stein.  The  Swedish  King  would  not  allow 
diplomacy  on  the  part  of  the  ministers  to 
lengthen  the  proceedings ;  he  wanted  the  treaty 
settled  with  the  same  rapidity  with  which  he 
had  invaded  Zeeland.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it 
was  concluded  on  the  5th  of  August  to  the 
advantage  of  the  Duke  of  Holstein,  who  was 
indemnified  for  all  the  expenses  of  the  war  and 
freed  from  oppression.  The  King  of  Sweden 
would  make  no  claims  on  his  own  behalf,  being 
satisfied  with  having  helped  his  ally  and 
humbled  his  enemy.  Thus  Charles  XII,  at 
eighteen  years  old,  began  and  ended  this  war 
in  less  than  six  weeks. 

Just  at  the  same  time  the  King  of  Poland 
laid  siege  in  person  to  the  town  of  Riga,  the 
capital  of  Livonia,  and  the  Czar  was  marching 
from  the  East  at  the  head  of  100,000  men. 
Riga  was  defended  by  the  old  Count  D'Alberg, 
a  Swedish  general  who,  at  the  age  of  eighty, 
combined  the  enthusiasm  of  youth  with  the 
experience  of  sixty  campaigns.  Count  Flem 
ing,  afterwards  minister  for  Poland,  a  man 


History  of  Charles  XII      47 

great  both  in  the  field  and  at  the  council  board, 
together  with  M.  Patkul,  carried  on  the  siege 
under  the  directions  of  the  King ;  in  spite  of 
several  advantages  gained  by  the  besiegers  the 
experience  of  the  old  Count  D'Alberg  counter 
acted  all  their  efforts,  and  the  King  of  Poland 
despaired  of  gaining  the  town.  At  last  he  got 
an  honourable  pretext  for  raising  the  siege ; 
Riga  was  full  of  merchandise  belonging  to  the 
Dutch;  the  States-General  ordered  their  am 
bassador  at  the  Court  of  Augustus  to  make 
representations  to  him  on  the  subject.  The 
King  of  Poland  did  not  require  much  pressing, 
but  consented  to  raise  the  siege  rather  than 
occasion  the  least  inconvenience  to  his  allies, 
who  were  not  much  surprised  at  his  ready 
compliance,  as  they  knew  the  cause  of  it. 

The  only  thing  left  to  Charles  to  complete 
his  first  campaign  was  to  march  against  his 
rival  for  glory,  Peter  Alexiowitz.  He  was  the 
more  angry  with  him  because  there  were  at 
Stockholm  three  ambassadors  who  had  just 
sworn  to  an  inviolable  peace  :  he  who  prided 
himself  on  his  probity  could  not  understand 
how  a  legislator  like  the  Czar  could  make  light 
of  what  should  be  held  sacred.  The  young  and 
honourable  Prince  never  dreamed  that  there 
might  be  one  code  of  morality  for  princes  and 
another  for  private  individuals.  The  Russian 
Emperor  published  a  manifesto  which  he  had 
much  better  have  suppressed  :  he  gave  as 
reason  for  war  that  he  had  not  been  sufficiently 


48      History  of  Charles  XII 

honoured  when  he  passed  incognito  to  Riga, 
and  also  that  provisions  were  sold  too  dear  to 
his  ambassadors.  These  were  the  grievances 
for  which  he  ravaged  Ingria  with  80,000  men. 

It  was  on  the  ist  of  October,  a  month  in 
which  the  weather  is  more  severe  in  that 
climate  than  is  January  in  Paris,  that  he  ap 
peared  before  Narva.  The  Czar,  who  in  such 
weather  would  often  ride  400  leagues  to  see 
a  mine  or  a  canal,  spared  his  men  no  more 
than  himself.  Besides,  he  knew  that  the 
Swedes,  ever  since  the  time  of  Gustavus  Adol- 
phus,  fought  in  the  depth  of  winter  as  well  as 
in  summer,  and  he  wanted  to  accustom  his 
Russians  not  to  care  about  the  seasons,  so  that 
some  day  they  might  at  least  equal  the  Swedes. 
So  at  a  time  when  frost  and  snow  force  nations 
in  temperate  climates  to  suspend  hostilities 
Peter  was  besieging  Narva,  thirty  degrees  from 
the  Pole,  and  Charles  was  advancing  to  its 
relief.  The  Czar  had  no  sooner  arrived  before 
the  place  than  he  hastened  to  put  into  practice 
all  that  he  had  lately  learned  on  his  travels  : 
he  drew  out  his  camp,  fortified  it  on  all  sides, 
built  walls  at  intervals,  and  opened  the  trench 
with  his  own  hands.  He  had  given  the  com 
mand  of  the  army  to  the  Duke  of  Croy,  a 
German,  and  a  clever  general,  who  got  little 
support  from  the  Russian  officers. 

The  Czar  himself  had  only  the  ordinary  rank 
of  lieutenant  in  his  own  army.  He  thought 
it  necessary  to  give  an  example  of  military 


History  of  Charles  XII      49 

obedience  to  his  nobility,  who  up  till  then  had 
been  undisciplined  and  accustomed  to  lead 
bands  of  ill-armed  slaves  without  experience  or 
order.  There  is  nothing-  surprising-  in  the  fact 
that  he  who  at  Amsterdam  turned  carpenter  to 
procure  fleets  for  himself  should  at  Narva  turn 
lieutenant  in  order  to  teach  his  people  the  art 
of  war. 

The  Russians  are  strong-  and  indefatigable, 
and  perhaps  as  brave  as  the  Swedes,  but  it 
requires  time  to  make  veterans,  and  discipline 
to  make  them  invincible.  The  only  fairly 
reliable  regiments  were  commanded  by  German 
officers,  but  there  were  very  few  of  them ;  the 
rest  were  savages  torn  from  their  forests, 
clothed  in  the  skins  of  wild  beasts,  some  armed 
with  arrows  and  others  with  clubs.  Few  had 
muskets,  none  had  seen  a  regular  siege,  there 
was  not  one  good  gunner  in  the  whole 
army. 

A  hundred  and  fifty  cannon,  which  ought  to 
have  reduced  the  little  town  of  Narva  to  ashes, 
hardly  made  a  breach,  while  every  moment  the 
artillery  of  the  town  were  destroying  whole 
lines  at  work  in  the  trenches.  Narva  was 
practically  unfortified,  and  Count  Horn,  who 
was  in  command,  had  not  a  thousand  regular 
troops,  and  yet  this  immense  army  was  not 
able  to  reduce  it  in  ten  weeks. 

On  the  1 5th  of  November  the  Czar  heard  that 
the  King  of  Sweden  had  crossed  the  sea  with 
200  transports  and  was  on  his  way  to  the  relief 

E 


50      History  of  Charles  XII 

of  Narva.  There  were  not  more  than  20,000 
Swedes,  but  superiority  of  numbers  was  the 
Czar's  only  advantage.  He  was  far,  therefore, 
from  despising  his  enemy,  and  used  all  his  skill 
to  crush  him ;  and  not  content  with  100,000 
men  he  levied  another  army  to  oppose  him  and 
harass  him  in  his  advance.  He  had  already 
sent  for  30,000  men  who  were  advancing  from 
Plescow  by  forced  marches.  He  then  took  a 
step  which  would  render  him  contemptible  if 
so  great  a  legislator  could  be  so.  He  left  his 
camp,  where  his  presence  was  necessary,  to  go 
to  meet  these  reinforcements,  which  could  quite 
well  reach  the  camp  without  his  aid ;  this  step 
made  it  appear  that  he  was  afraid  of  fighting, 
in  an  entrenched  camp,  a  young  and  inex 
perienced  prince,  who  might  attack  him. 

However  that  may  be,  his  plan  was  to  hem 
in  the  King  between  two  armies.  Nor  was 
this  all :  a  detachment  of  30,000  men  from  the 
camp  before  Narva  was  posted  at  a  league's 
distance  from  the  town,  on  the  King  of 
Sweden's  route,  20,000  Strelitz  were  further  off 
on  the  same  route,  and  5,000  others  formed  an 
advanced  guard.  Charles  would  have  to  force 
his  way  through  all  these  troops  before  he 
could  reach  the  camp,  which  was  fortified  by 
a  rampart  and  a  double  ditch.  The  King  of 
Sweden  had  landed  at  Pernaw,  on  the  Gulf  of 
Riga,  with  about  15,000  foot  and  more  than 
4,000  horse.  From  Pernaw  he  made  a  forced 
march  to  Revel,  followed  by  all  his  horse  and 


History  of  Charles  XII      51 

only  4,000  of  his  foot.  He  continually  advanced 
without  waiting-  for  the  rest  of  his  troops. 

Soon  he  found  himself,  with  only  8,000  men, 
in  presence  of  the  enemy's  outposts.  He  did 
not  hesitate  to  attack  them  one  after  the  other, 
without  giving-  them  time  to  find  out  with  how 
small  a  number  they  had  to  contend.  The 
Russians,  when  they  saw  the  Swedes  advanc 
ing  against  them,  took  it  for  granted  that 
they  had  a  whole  army  to  encounter,  and  the 
advanced  guard  of  5,000  men,  who  were  hold 
ing  a  pass  between  the  hills  where  100  men  of 
courage  might  have  barred  the  passage  of  a 
whole  army,  fled  at  the  first  approach  of  the 
Swedes.  The  20,000  men  behind  them,  terrified 
at  the  flight  of  their  countrymen,  were  over 
come  by  fear  and  caused  panic  in  the  camp  to 
which  they  fled.  All  the  posts  were  carried  in 
three  days  and  a  half,  and  what  would  have 
been  on  other  occasions  reckoned  three  distinct 
victories  did  not  delay  the  King  an  hour.  At 
last  he  appeared  with  his  8,000  men,  weaned 
with  the  fatigues  of  so  long  a  march,  before  a 
camp  of  80,000  Russians,  protected  by  150 
cannon.  He  hardly  allowed  them  time  for  rest 
before  he  gave  orders  for  an  instant  attack. 

The  signal  was  two  musket-shots,  and  the 
word  in  German,  "With  God's  help."  A 
general  officer  pointed  out  to  him  the  greatness 
of  the  danger.  "  Surely  you  have  no  doubt," 
he  replied,  "  but  that  I  with  my  8,000  brave 
Swedes  shall  trample  down  80,000  Russians!" 


52      History  of  Charles  XII 

Then  a  moment  after,  fearing  that  his  speech 
was  boastful,  he  ran  after  the  officer.  "  Do 
you  not  agree  with  me,"  he  said,  "  that  I  have 
a  double  advantage  over  the  enemy?  First  be 
cause  their  horse  will  be  useless  to  them,  and 
secondly  because,  as  the  position  is  cramped, 
their  numbers  will  only  incommode  them,  so 
that  I  shall  really  possess  the  advantage." 
The  officer  thought  it  best  not  to  differ  from 
him,  and  so  they  attacked  the  Russians  about 
noon,  on  the  3Oth  November. 

As  soon  as  the  cannon  of  the  Swedes  had 
made  a  breach  in  the  entrenchments  they  ad 
vanced  with  fixed  bayonets,  having  the  snow, 
which  drove  full  in  the  face  of  the  enemy, 
behind  them.  The  Russians  stood  the  fire  for 
half-an-hour  without  quitting  their  posts.  The 
King  attacked  the  Czar's  quarters,  on  the  other 
side  of  the  camp,  and  hoped  to  meet  him  in 
person,  for  he  was  ignorant  of  the  fact  that 
he  had  gone  to  meet  his  40,000  reinforcements 
who  were  expected  shortly.  At  the  first  dis 
charge  the  King  received  a  ball  in  the  shoulder ; 
but  it  was  a  spent  ball  which  rested  in  the  folds 
of  his  black  cravat  and  did  him  no  harm. 

His  horse  was  killed  under  him,  and  it  is 
said  that  the  King  leapt  nimbly  on  another, 
exclaiming,  "These  fellows  make  me  take  exer 
cise. "  Then  he  continued  to  advance  and  give 
orders  with  the  same  presence  of  mind  as 
before.  Within  three  hours  the  entrenchments 
were  carried  on  all  sides  :  the  King  chased  the 


History  of  Charles  XII      53 

enemy's  right  as  far  as  the  river  Narva  with 
his  left,  if  one  may  speak  of  "  chasing  "  when 
4,000  men  are  in  pursuit  of  nearly  50,000.  The 
bridge  broke  under  them  as  they  fled;  in  a 
moment  the  river  was  full  of  dead  bodies;  the 
rest  in  despair  returned  to  their  camp  without 
knowing  the  direction  in  which  they  were 
going.  They  found  some  huts  behind  which 
they  stationed  themselves ;  there  they  defended 
themselves  for  a  time  because  they  had  no 
mean  of  escape ;  but  finally  their  generals, 
Dolgorouky,  Gollofkin  and  Federowitz  sur 
rendered  to  the  King  and  laid  down  their  arms 
at  his  feet.  Just  then  the  Duke  of  Croy  arrived 
to  surrender  with  thirty  officers. 

Charles  received  all  these  prisoners  with  as 
charming  and  engaging  a  manner  as  if  he 
were  fating  them  in  his  own  Court.  He  only 
put  the  general  officers  under  a  guard ;  all  the 
under  officers  and  soldiers  were  disarmed  and 
taken  to  the  river  Narva,  where  they  were 
provided  with  boats  to  convey  them  to  their 
own  country.  In  the  meantime  night  came  on, 
and  the  right  wing  of  the  Russian  force  was 
still  fighting.  The  Swedes  had  not  lost  1,500 
men;  18,000  Russians  had  been  killed  in  their 
entrenchments,  many  had  been  drowned,  many 
had  crossed  the  river;  but  still  there  remained 
enough  to  entirely  exterminate  the  Swedes. 
But  it  is  not  the  number  lost,  but  the  panic  of 
survivors  which  spells  defeat  in  war.  The 
King  made  haste  to  seize  the  enemy's  artillery 


54      History  of  Charles  XII 

before  nightfall.  He  took  up  an  advantageous 
position  between  their  camp  and  the  town,  and 
there  got  some  hours'  sleep  on  the  ground, 
wrapped  in  his  cloak,  waiting  till  at  daybreak 
he  could  fall  on  the  enemy's  left  wing,  which 
was  not  yet  completely  routed. 

At  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  General  Wade, 
who  was  in  command  of  that  wing,  having 
heard  of  the  King's  gracious  reception  of  the 
other  generals  and  his  sending  home  of  the 
subalterns  and  soldiers,  asked  the  same  favour 
of  him.  The  conqueror  sent  him  word  that  he 
need  only  approach  at  the  head  of  his  troops 
and  surrender  his  arms  and  standards.  Soon 
the  general  appeared  with  his  Russians,  to  the 
number  of  about  30,000.  Soldiers  and  officers 
marched  bare-headed  in  front  of  less  than 
7,000  Swedes.  As  the  soldiers  passed  before 
him  they  threw  down  their  muskets  and 
swords ;  the  officers  surrendered  their  ensigns 
and  colours. 

He  let  the  whole  band  cross  the  river  with 
out  keeping  one  single  prisoner.  Had  he  put 
them  under  guard  the  number  of  prisoners 
would  have  been  at  least  five  times  that  of  the 
conquerors. 

He  then  victoriously  entered  Narva,  attended 
by  the  Duke  of  Croy  and  the  other  Russian 
officers ;  he  ordered  their  swords  to  be  restored 
to  them,  and  when  he  heard  that  they  wanted 
money,  because  the  tradesmen  of  Narva  re 
fused  to  trust  them,  he  sent  the  Duke  of  Croy 


History  of  Charles  XII      55 

1,000  ducats,  and  500  to  every  Russian  officer, 
who  were  full  of  admiration  for  this  treatment, 
which  they  had  never  conceived  possible.  An 
account  of  the  victory  was  at  once  drawn  up  to 
send  to  Stockholm,  and  to  the  allies,  but  the 
King  erased  with  his  own  hands  whatever  re 
dounded  too  much  to  his  own  credit  or  to  the 
discredit  of  the  Czar.  His  modesty  could  not 
hinder  them  from  striking  several  medals  to 
commemorate  the  event  at  Stockholm.  One  of 
these  represented  him,  on  one  face,  standing 
on  a  pedestal,  to  which  a  Russian,  Dane  and 
Pole  were  chained;  and  on  the  reverse  a  Her 
cules,  armed  with  a  club,  trampling  a  Cerberus, 
and  the  inscription,  "  Tres  uno  contudit  ictu. " 
Among  the  prisoners  made  on  the  day  of  the 
battle  of  Narva  was  one  who  was  typical  of 
the  revolutions  of  fortune.  He  was  the  eldest 
son  and  heir  of  the  King  of  Georgia.  He  was 
called  the  "  Czarafis,"  a  name  which  means 
son  of  the  Czar  among  all  the  Tartars  as  well 
as  in  Russia;  for  the  word  Czar  meant  King 
among  the  ancient  Scythians,  from  whom  all 
these  peoples  are  descended,  and  is  not  derived 
from  the  name  of  the  Caesars,  so  long  unknown 
to  these  barbarians.  His  father,  Mitelleski, 
who  was  master  of  the  most  beautiful  part  of 
the  country  between  the  mountains  of  Ararat 
and  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  Black  Sea, 
had  been  driven  from  his  kingdom  by  his  own 
subjects  in  1688,  and  preferred  throwing  him 
self  on  the  mercy  of  the  Emperor  of  Russia,  to 


56      History  of  Charles  XII 

applying  to  the  Turks.  This  king's  son,  at  the 
age  of  nineteen,  helped  Peter  the  Great  in  his 
expedition  against  the  Swedes,  and  was  taken 
in  battle  by  some  Finnish  soldiers,  who  had 
already  stripped  him,  and  were  on  the  point  of 
killing  him,  when  Count  Renschild  rescued  him 
from  their  hands,  supplied  him  with  clothes, 
and  presented  him  to  his  master.  Charles  sent 
him  to  Stockholm,  where  the  wretched  prince 
died  shortly  after.  When  he  took  leave,  the 
King  made  aloud  a  natural  reflection  on  the 
strangeness  of  the  fate  of  an  Asiatic  prince, 
born  at  the  foot  of  the  Caucasus,  and  going  to 
live  a  prisoner  among  the  snows  of  Sweden  : 

"  It  is  just,"  he  said,  "as  if  I  were  to  be 
one  day  prisoner  among  the  Tartars  of  the 
Crimea."  At  that  time  these  words  made  no 
impression,  but  afterwards,  when  the  predic 
tion  had  been  justified  in  the  event,  there  was 
but  too  much  reason  to  remember  them. 

The  Czar  was  advancing  by  long  marches 
with  a  force  of  40,000  Russians,  expecting  to 
surround  his  enemy  on  all  sides.  When  he  had 
got  half-way  he  heard  of  the  battle  of  Narva, 
and  the  dispersal  of  his  whole  camp.  He 
thought  it  best  not  to  attack  a  victor  who  had 
shortly  before  destroyed  100,000  entrenched 
troops,  with  a  force  of  40,000  raw  and  undis 
ciplined  men.  He  retraced  his  steps,  hoping 
to  discipline  his  troops  at  the  same  time  as 
civilize  his  subjects.  "  I  know,"  he  remarked, 
"  that  the  Swedes  will  long  beat  us,  but  in  time 


History  of  Charles  XII      57 

they  will  teach  us  to  beat  them."  Moscow, 
his  capital,  was  terror-stricken  to  hear  of  this 
defeat.  So  great  was  the  pride  and  ignorance 
of  the  people  that  they  were  convinced  they 
had  been  conquered  by  superhuman  agency, 
and  that  the  Swedes  had  secured  their  victory 
by  magic.  This  opinion  was  so  widespread 
that  a  public  prayer  to  Saint  Nicholas,  patron 
saint  of  Russia,  was  ordered.  This  prayer  is 
too  singular  to  be  omitted.  It  runs  thus — 

"  O  thou,  our  perpetual  consolation  in  all 
our  adversities,  great  Saint  Nicholas,  of  infinite 
power,  how  have  we  offended  thee  in  our 
sacrifices,  our  genuflections,  our  bowings,  our 
thanksgivings,  that  thou  hast  thus  forsaken 
us  ?  We  have  implored  thine  assistance  against 
these  terrible,  insolent,  savage,  dreadful,  in 
vincible  destroyers,  when,  like  lions  and  bears 
who  have  lost  their  young,  they  have  fallen 
upon  us,  terrified  us,  wounded  us,  slain  us  by 
thousands,  who  are  thy  people.  As  it  is  impos 
sible  that  this  should  have  happened  without 
sorcery  and  witchcraft,  we  beseech  thee,  O  great 
Nicholas,  to  be  our  champion  and  standard- 
bearer,  to  deliver  us  from  this  band  of  sorcer 
ers,  and  to  drive  them  from  our  coasts  with  the 
reward  they  deserve." 

While  the  Russians  were  thus  complaining 
of  their  defeat  to  St.  Nicholas,  Charles  XII  re 
turned  thanks  to  God,  and  prepared  himself  for 
fresh  victories. 

The  King  of  Poland  fully  expected  that  his 


58      History  of  Charles  XII 

enemy,  who  had  conquered  the  Danes  and  Rus 
sians,  would  next  turn  his  arms  against  him. 
He  made  a  firmer  alliance  with  the  Czar,  and 
the  two  princes  arranged  an  interview  at 
which  they  could  agree  on  some  policy.  They 
met  at  Brizen,  a  small  town  in  Lithuania,  with 
out  any  of  the  formalities  which  only  delay 
business,  and  for  which  they  were  in  no  humour 
under  the  circumstances.  The  princes  of  the 
North  met  with  a  familiarity  which  is  not  yet 
the  fashion  in  the  south  of  Europe.  Peter 
and  Augustus  passed  fifteen  days  together  in 
pleasures  which  passed  all  bounds;  for  the 
Czar,  who  had  set  himself  to  reform  his  king 
dom,  could  not  restrain  his  own  dangerous 
inclination  to  riotous  living. 

The  King  of  Poland  promised  to  furnish  the 
Czar  with  50,000  German  troops,  which  were 
to  be  hired  from  several  princes,  and  which  the 
Czar  was  to  pay.  He,  on  the  other  hand,  was 
to  send  50,000  Russians  to  Poland  to  be  trained 
in  the  art  of  war,  and  was  also  to  pay  the  King 
of  Poland  3,000,000  rixdollars  within  two 
years.  Had  this  treaty  been  carried  out  it 
might  have  been  fatal  to  the  King  of  Sweden. 
It  was  a  ready  and  sure  way  of  making  good 
soldiers  of  the  Russians,  and  might  perhaps 
have  forged  irons  for  half  Europe. 

Charles  XII  set  himself  to  prevent  the  King 
of  Poland  from  getting  the  benefit  of  this 
treaty.  After  passing  the  winter  in  Narva,  he 
marched  into  Livonia,  to  the  very  town  of 


History  of  Charles  XII      59 

Riga  which  King  Augustus  had  failed  to  take. 
The  Saxon  troops  were  pasted  along  the  river 
Dwina,  which  is  very  broad  at  this  spot,  and 
their  task  was  to  dispute  the  passage  with 
Charles,  who  lay  on  the  other  bank.  The 
Saxons  were  not  then  commanded  by  their 
Prince,  who  was  at  that  time  ill ;  but  their 
leader  was  Marshal  Stenau,  who  was  general ; 
under  him  commanded  Prince  Ferdinand,  Duke 
of  Courland,  and  the  same  Patkul,  who,  after 
having  maintained  his  rights  on  paper,  defended 
his  country  against  Charles  sword  in  hand  at 
the  peril  of  his  life. 

The  King  of  Sweden  had  great  boats  made, 
after  a  new  model,  so  that  the  sides  were  far 
higher  than  ordinary,  and  could  be  let  down 
and  drawn  up  like  a  drawbridge.  When  raised 
they  protected  the  troops  they  carried,  and 
when  let  down  they  formed  a  bridge  to  land  by. 

He  also  employed  another  artifice.  Having 
noticed  that  the  wind  blew  straight  from  the 
north,  where  his  troops  lay,  to  the  south,  where 
his  enemies  were  encamped,  he  fired  a  large 
heap  of  wet  straw,  which  spread  a  thick  smoke 
over  the  river  and  prevented  the  Saxons  from 
seeing  his  troops,  or  guessing  at  his  actions. 
Under  cover  of  this  cloud  he  sent  out  boats 
filled  with  smoking  straw,  so  that  the  cloud 
increased,  and  being  right  in  the  enemy's  face, 
prevented  them  from  knowing  whether  the  King 
had  started  on  the  passage  or  not.  Meanwhile, 
he  himself  led  the  execution  of  his  scheme; 


6o      History  of  Charles  XII 

and  when  he  was  in  the  middle  of  the  river, 
"  Well,"  he  said,  "  the  Dwina  is  going  to  be 
as  kind  to  us  as  the  sea  of  Copenhagen;  take 
my  word  for  it,  General,  we  shall  beat  them." 
He  got  to  the  other  side  in  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  and  was  vexed  to  see  three  people  leap 
to  shore  before  him.     He  had  his  cannon  landed 
at  once,  and  drew  up  his  line  without  any  oppo 
sition  from  the  enemy,  who  were  blinded  by  the 
smoke.     When  the  wind  dispersed  the  smoke 
the   Saxons  saw  the  King  of  Sweden  already 
on  his  march  against  them.      Marshal   Stenau 
lost  not  a  moment,  but  at  the  first  appearance 
of  the   Swedes   fell   furiously   upon   them   with 
the  best  part  of  his  horse.     The  violent  shock 
coming   upon   the   Swedes   just   as   they   were 
forming,  threw  them  into  disorder.     They  gave 
way,  were  broken,  and  pursued  up  to  the  river. 
The  King  of  Sweden  rallied  them  instantly  in 
the  midst  of  the  stream,  with  as  much  ease  as 
if  he  were  holding  a  review.     Then  his  troops, 
marching  in  closer  formation  than  before,  beat 
back  Marshal  Stenau,   and  advanced  into  the 
plain.      Stenau  felt  that  his  men  were  begin 
ning  to  waver,  and,  like  a  skilful  commander, 
drew  them  off  into  a  dry  place  flanked  by  a 
marsh,   and  a  wood  where  his  artillery  were 
posted.     The  advantage  of  their  position,  and 
the  time  they  had  to  recover  their  spirits,  re 
stored  the  Swedes'  courage.     Charles  attacked 
at  once  with  15,000  men,  while  the  Duke  had 
about    12,000.      The   battle   was    hard    fought 


History  of  Charles  XII      61 

and  bloody;  the  Duke  had  two  horses  killed 
under  him ;  he  three  times  penetrated  into  the 
centre  of  the  King's  guards,  but  at  last,  having 
been  unhorsed  by  a  musket  blow,  his  army  fell 
into  confusion,  and  he  disputed  the  field  no 
longer.  His  cuirassiers  carried  him  off  from 
the  thick  of  the  battle  with  difficulty,  all  bruised, 
and  half  dead,  from  the  horses'  feet,  as  they 
were  trampling  him. 

After  the  victory  the  King  of  Sweden 
hastened  to  Mittau,  the  capital  of  Courland, 
and  took  it.  All  the  towns  of  the  Duchy  sur 
rendered  at  discretion  ;  it  was  rather  a  triumphal 
passage  than  a  conquest.  He  passed  rapidly 
on  to  Lithuania,  and  conquered  wherever  he 
passed.  And  he  acknowledged  that  it  was  a 
great  satisfaction  to  him  to  enter  in  triumph 
the  town  of  Birzen,  where  the  King  of  Poland 
and  the  Czar  had  plotted  his  ruin.  It  was  here 
that  he  planned  to  dethrone  the  King  of  Poland 
by  the  agency  of  the  Poles  themselves.  When 
one  day  he  was  at  table,  quite  absorbed  in  the 
thought  of  his  enterprise,  and  observing  his 
usual  rule  of  abstinence  in  the  midst  of  a  pro 
found  silence,  appearing  engrossed  in  his  great 
plans,  a  German  colonel,  who  was  present, 
said  loud  enough  for  the  King  to  hear,  that  the 
meals  which  the  Czar  and  the  King  of  Poland 
had  made  in  the  same  place  were  very  different 
from  these. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  King,  rising,  "  and  I  shall 
the  more  easily  disturb  their  digestions."  In 


62      History  of  Charles  XII 

fact,  using  a  little  diplomacy  to  assist  his  arms, 
he  did  not  delay  to  prepare  for  the  event  about 
which  he  had  been  busy  thinking. 

The  Government  of  Poland  is  an  almost  exact 
image  of  the  old  Celtic  and  Gothic  Govern 
ment,  which  has  been  altered  almost  every 
where  else.  It  is  the  only  state  which  has 
retained  the  name  "  republic,"  with  the  royal 
dignity. 

Every  nobleman  has  the  right  to  vote  at  the 
election  of  the  king,  and  to  stand  for  election 
himself.  These  fine  privileges  have  correspond 
ing  abuses ;  the  throne  is  almost  always  put  up 
for  sale,  and  as  a  Pole  is  seldom  rich  enough 
to  buy  it,  it  is  often  sold  to  foreigners.  The 
nobility  defend  their  liberty  against  the  king, 
and  tyrannize  over  the  rest  of  the  nation.  The 
body  of  the  people  are  slaves ;  such  is  the  fate 
of  mankind,  that  the  great  majority  are,  in 
some  way  or  another,  kept  under  by  the 
minority.  There  the  peasant  does  not  sow  his 
crops  for  himself  but  for  his  lord,  to  whom  he 
and  his  land  and  his  very  work  belong,  and 
who  can  sell  him,  or  cut  his  throat  as  if  he 
were  a  beast  of  the  field.  A  lord  is  answer 
able  to  none  but  himself.  Judgment  can  only 
be  given  against  him  for  a  criminal  action  by 
an  assembly  of  the  whole  nation. 

Nor  can  he  be  arrested  until  after  his  con 
demnation,  so  that  he  is  hardly  ever  punished. 
Many  among  them  are  poor,  in  which  case 
they  let  themselves  out  to  the  richer,  and  do 


History  of  Charles  XII      63 

the  basest  duties  for  a  salary.  They  would 
rather  serve  their  equals  than  engage  in  trade, 
and  while  taking  care  of  their  masters'  horses 
they  call  themselves  electors  of  kings  and 
destroyers  of  tyrants. 

Whoever  saw  a  King  of  Poland  in  the  pomp 
of  his  majesty,  would  think  him  the  most  abso 
lute  prince  in  Europe ;  yet  he  is  certainly  the 
least  so.  The  Poles  really  make  with  him  the 
same  contract  which  is  supposed  to  exist  be 
tween  a  sovereign  and  his  subjects.  The  King 
of  Poland  at  the  moment  of  his  consecration, 
and  when  he  swears  to  keep  the  "  pacta  con- 
venta,"  releases  his  subjects  from  their  oath  of 
allegiance  if  he  should  break  the  laws  of  the 
republic.  He  nominates  to  all  public  offices,  and 
confers  all  honours.  Nothing  is  hereditary  in 
Poland,  except  estates  and  noble  rank.  The 
sons  of  a  count  or  of  a  king  have  no  claim  to 
the  dignities  of  their  father.  But  there  is  this 
great  difference  between  the  king  and  a  re 
public,  that  he  cannot  deprive  of  any  office 
after  having  conferred  it,  and  that  the  republic 
may  depose  him  if  he  breaks  the  constitution. 

The  nobility,  jealous  of  their  liberty,  often 
sell  their  votes  and  seldom  their  affections. 
They  have  scarcely  elected  a  king  before  they 
fear  his  ambition  and  make  plots  against  him. 
The  great  men  whose  fortunes  he  has  made, 
and  whom  he  cannot  degrade,  often  become  his 
enemies  instead  of  remaining  his  favourites  ;  and 
those  who  are  attached  to  the  Court,  become 


64      History  of  Charles  XII 

objects  of  hatred  to  the  rest  of  the  nobility. 
This  makes  the  existence  of  two  parties  the  rule 
among  them ;  a  condition  which  is  inevitable, 
and  even  a  necessity,  in  countries  where  they 
will  have  kings  and  at  the  same  time  preserve 
their  liberty.  What  concerns  the  nation  is 
regulated  by  the  States-General,  which  they 
call  Diets.  These  Diets  are  by  the  law  of  the 
kingdom  to  be  held  alternately  in  Poland  and 
Lithuania.  The  deputies  do  business  there 
with  sword  in  hand,  like  the  old  Sarmatae, 
from  whom  they  are  descended ;  and  sometimes 
too  in  a  state  of  intoxication,  a  vice  to  which 
the  Sarmatae  were  strangers.  Every  noble 
man  deputed  to  these  States-General  has  the 
right  the  Roman  tribunes  had  of  vetoing  the 
laws  of  the  Senate.  One  nobleman,  by  saying 
"  I  protest,"  can  put  a  stop  to  the  unanimous 
resolutions  of  all  the  rest;  and  if  he  leaves  the 
place  where  the  Diet  is  held  they  are  obliged 
to  separate. 

To  the  disorders  arising  from  this  law  they 
apply  a  remedy  still  more  dangerous.  There 
are  almost  always  two  factions  in  Poland;  as 
unanimity  in  the  Diet  is  almost  impossible, 
each  party  forms  confederacies,  in  which  deci 
sions  are  made  by  the  majority's  votes,  with 
out  regard  to  the  minority. 

These  assemblies,  which  are  unconstitutional 
but  authorized  by  precedent,  are  held  in  the 
king's  name,  though  often  without  his  con 
sent  and  against  his  interests,  much  in  the 


History  of  Charles  XII      65 

same  way  as  the  League  in  France  made  use  of 
Henry  Ill's  name  to  undermine  his  power,  or 
as  the  Parliament  in  England,  which  executed 
Charles  I,  began  by  putting  the  King's  name 
at  the  head  of  all  the  Acts  they  passed  to 
destroy  him.  When  the  troubles  are  ended, 
then  it  is  the  function  of  the  General  Diets  to 
annul  the  acts  of  these  cabals ;  any  Diet  can 
also  repeal  the  acts  of  its  predecessors,  be 
cause  one  king  can  abolish  the  laws  of  his 
predecessors,  or  his  own  laws. 

The  nobility  which  makes  the  laws  for  the 
State  is  also  its  defence.  They  muster  on 
horseback  on  great  occasions,  and  can  make 
a  corps  of  more  than  100,000  men.  This  great 
body,  called  "  Pospolite,"  moves  with  difficulty, 
and  is  ill-governed.  Difficulties  of  provisions 
and  forage  make  it  impossible  for  them  to 
keep  together  long;  they  lack  discipline, 
experience  and  obedience,  but  their  strong  love 
of  liberty  makes  them  always  formidable. 
They  may  be  conquered,  dispersed,  or  even 
kept  for  a  time  in  bonds,  but  they  soon  shake 
off  the  yoke ;  they  compare  themselves  to 
reeds,  which  a  storm  will  bend  to  the  ground, 
and  which  will  rise  when  the  wind  drops.  It 
is  for  this  reason  that  they  have  no  fortified 
towns — they  themselves  are  to  be  the  only  bul 
warks  of  the  State;  they  never  let  their  king 
build  fortresses,  lest  he  should  use  them  rather 
for  their  oppression  than  for  their  defence; 
their  country  is  quite  open,  except  for  two  or 

F 


66      History  of  Charles  XII 

three  frontier  towns,  and  if  in  any  of  their 
wars,  civil  or  foreign,  they  resolve  to  sustain 
a  siege,  they  are  obliged  to  hastily  raise  earth 
fortifications,  repair  old  half-ruined  walls,  and 
enlarge  the  half -choked  ditches ;  then  the  town 
is  taken  before  the  entrenchments  are  finished. 

The  Pospolite  is  not  always  on  horses  to 
guard  the  country ;  they  only  form  by  order 
of  the  Diet,  or,  in  times  of  great  danger,  by 
that  of  the  king. 

The  ordinary  protection  of  Poland  is  in  the 
hands  of  a  force  which  the  State  is  obliged  to 
support.  It  is  composed  of  two  bodies  inde 
pendent  of  each  other  under  two  different 
generals.  The  two  generals  are  independent  of 
each  other,  and  though  they  are  nominated  by 
the  king,  are  responsible  to  the  State  alone  and 
have  supreme  authority  over  their  troops.  The 
colonels  are  absolute  masters  of  their  regi 
ments,  and  it  is  their  affair  to  get  them  what 
sustenance  they  can,  and  to  pay  them ;  but  as 
they  are  seldom  paid  themselves,  they  ravage 
the  country,  and  ruin  the  farmers  to  satisfy 
their  own  rapacity,  and  that  of  their  soldiers. 
The  Polish  lords  appear  in  these  armies  with 
more  magnificence  than  in  civil  life,  and  their 
tents  are  finer  than  their  houses.  The  cavalry, 
which  makes  up  two-thirds  of  the  arrny,  is 
almost  entirely  composed  of  noblemen,  and  is 
remarkable  for  the  gracefulness  of  the  horses 
and  the  richness  of  the  accoutrements. 

Their  men-at-arms  especially,  who  are  called 


History  of  Charles  XII      67 

either  hussars  or  pancernes,  are  always  at 
tended  by  several  valets,  who  lead  their  horses, 
which  have  ornamented  bridles  with  plates  of 
silver  and  silver  nails,  embroidered  saddles, 
saddle-bows  and  gilt  stirrups,  sometimes  made 
of  massive  silver,  with  saddle-cloth  trailing  in 
the  fashion  of  the  Turks,  whose  magnificence 
the  Poles  imitate  as  nearly  as  possible. 

But  though  the  cavalry  is  so  gorgeous  the 
foot  are  wretched,  ill-clad,  ill-armed,  without 
uniform  clothes  or  anything  regular;  at  least 
that  is  how  they  were  up  to  1710.  These  foot- 
soldiers,  who  are  like  wandering  Tartars,  bear 
hunger,  cold,  fatigue,  and  all  the  hardship  of 
war  with  incredible  endurance.  The  character 
istics  of  the  ancient  Sarmatae,  their  ancestors, 
can  still  be  seen  in  the  Poles ;  the  same  lack 
of  discipline,  the  same  fury  in  assault,  the 
same  readiness  to  run  away  and  to  return  to 
the  field,  the  same  mad  fury  of  slaughter  when 
they  are  victorious. 

The  King  of  Poland  at  first  consoled  himself 
with  the  idea  that  these  two  armies  would 
fight  for  him,  that  the  Polish  Pospolite  would 
arm  at  his  orders,  and  that  all  these  forces, 
united  with  his  Saxon  subjects  and  his  Russian 
allies,  would  make  up  a  multitude  before  whom 
the  small  Swedish  force  would  not  dare  to 
appear.  But  he  saw  himself  suddenly  deprived 
of  this  means  of  succour  through  the  very 
pains  which  he  had  taken  to  have  them  all  at 
once. 


68      History  of  Charles  XII 

Accustomed  in  his  hereditary  dominions  to 
absolute  power,  he  was  perhaps  too  confident 
that  he  could  govern  Poland  like  Saxony. 

The  beginning  of  his  reign  raised  malcon 
tents,  his  very  first  acts  irritated  the  party 
which  was  opposed  to  his  election,  and  alien 
ated  almost  all  the  rest.  The  Poles  resented 
the  fact  that  their  towns  were  filled  with  Saxon 
garrisons  and  their  frontiers  with  troops.  The 
nation,  far  more  anxious  to  maintain  their  own 
liberties  than  to  attack  their  neighbours,  did 
not  consider  the  king's  attack  on  Sweden  and 
his  invasion  of  Livonia  as  advantageous  to  the 
State.  It  is  difficult  to  deceive  a  free  nation 
concerning  its  interests.  The  Poles  saw  that 
if  this  war,  undertaken  against  their  wishes, 
was  unsuccessful,  their  country,  unprotected 
on  every  side,  would  fall  a  prey  to  the  King  of 
Sweden,  and  that  if  it  succeeded  they  would 
be  subdued  by  their  own  king,  who  as  soon 
as  he  was  master  of  Livonia  as  well  as  Saxony 
would  be  able  to  hem  in  Poland  between  these 
two  countries. 

In  the  face  of  this  alternative,  of  either  being 
enslaved  by  the  king  whom  they  had  elected, 
or  of  having  their  land  ravaged  by  Charles 
who  was  justly  enraged,  they  raised  a  great 
outcry  against  a  war  which  they  believed  was 
rather  declared  against  themselves  than  against 
Sweden.  They  regarded  the  Saxons  and  the 
Russians  as  the  instruments  of  their  bondage. 
And  when  the  King  of  Sweden  had  overcome 


History  of  Charles  XII      69 

all  that  opposed  him,  and  was  advancing  with 
a  victorious  army  into  the  heart  of  Lithuania, 
they  opposed  the  King  violently,  and  with  the 
more  freedom  because  they  were  in  misery. 

Lithuania  was  then  divided  into  two  parties, 
that  of  the  Princess  Sapieha,  and  that  of 
Oginski.  These  two  factions  had  begun  by 
private  quarrels,  and  degenerated  into  civil 
war. 

The  King  of  Sweden  was  on  the  side  of  the 
Princess  Sapieha;  and  Oginski,  ill  supported 
by  the  Saxons,  found  his  party  almost  de 
stroyed.  The  Lithuanian  army,  which  these 
troubles  and  lack  of  money  was  reducing  to  a 
small  number,  was  partly  dispersed  by  the  con 
queror.  The  few  who  sided  with  the  King  of 
Poland  were  small  bodies  of  wandering  troops, 
who  lived  by  spoil.  So  that  Augustus  found 
nothing  in  Lithuania  but  the  weakness  of  his 
own  party,  the  hate  of  his  subjects,  and  a 
foreign  army  led  by  an  offended,  victorious 
and  implacable  king. 

There  was  certainly  an  army  in  Poland,  but 
instead  of  38,000  men,  the  number  prescribed 
by  law,  there  were  not  18,000.  Then  it  was 
not  only  ill-armed  and  ill-paid,  but  the  generals 
were  undecided  on  any  course  of  action.  The 
King's  best  course  was  to  command  the  nobility 
to  follow  him;  but  he  dare  not  run  the  risk 
of  a  refusal,  which  would  increase  his  weak 
ness  by  disclosing  it. 

In  this  state  of  trouble  and  uncertainty,  all 


yo      History  of  Charles  XII 

the  counts  and  dukes  demanded  a  Parliament 
of  the  King,  just  as-  in  England,  in  times  of 
crisis,  the  different  bodies  of  the  State  present 
addresses  to  the  King  beseeching  him  to  call 
a  Parliament.  Augustus  was  more  in  need  of 
an  army  than  of  a  Parliament  where  the  actions 
of  kings  are  criticized.  But  he  was  forced  to 
call  one,  that  he  might  not  provoke  the  nation 
irretrievably.  A  Diet  was  therefore  summoned 
to  meet  at  Warsaw,  on  the  2nd  of  December, 
1701.  He  soon  saw  that  Charles  XII  had  as 
much  influence  in  the  Assembly  as  he  had  him 
self.  The  part}'  of  the  Sapieha,  the  Lubomirski, 
and  their  friends,  Count  Leczinski,  treasurer 
of  the  crown,  who  owed  his  fortune  to  King 
Augustus,  and  above  all  the  partisans  of  the 
Sobieski,  were  all  secretly  for  the  King  of 
Sweden. 

The  most  influential  of  them,  and  the  most 
dangerous  enemy  that  the  King  of  Poland 
had,  was  Cardinal  Radjouski,  archbishop  of 
Gnesna,  primate  of  the  kingdom  and  president 
of  the  Diet ;  his  conduct  was  full  of  duplicity 
and  artifice,  and  he  was  entirely  dominated  by 
an  ambitious  woman  whom  the  Swedes  called 
Madame  la  Cardinale,  and  who  never  ceased 
to  urge  him  to  intrigue  and  faction.  King 
John  Sobieski,  Augustus's  predecessor,  had 
first  made  him  archbishop  of  Varmia  and 
vice-chancellor  of  the  kingdom.  By  favour  of 
the  same  Prince,  the  Bishop  got  a  Cardinal's 
hat;  this  dignity  soon  opened  his  way  to  the 


History  of  Charles  XII      71 

primacy,  and  thus  uniting-  in  his  person  all 
that  impresses  people,  he  was  able  to  undertake 
great  enterprises  with  impunity. 

On  the  death  of  John  he  exerted  his  interest 
to  place  Jacques  Sobieski  on  the  throne ;  but 
the  great  hate  they  bore  the  father,  great  as 
he  was,  led  to  the  rejection  of  the  son.  Then 
the  Cardinal-Primate  united  with  the  Abbe" 
Polignac,  ambassador  from  France,  to  give  the 
crown  to  the  Prince  of  Conti,  who  actually 
was  elected. 

But  the  money  and  the  troops  of  the  Saxons 
got  the  better  of  him.  At  last  he  allowed  him 
self  to  be  drawn  into  the  party  which  crowned 
the  Elector  of  Saxony,  and  waited  impatiently 
for  a  chance  of  sowing  dissension  between  the 
nation  and  the  new  king. 

The  victories  of  Charles  XII,  protector  of 
Prince  James  Sobiesky,  the  civil  war  in  Lithu 
ania,  the  general  dissatisfaction  of  all  his 
people  with  King  Augustus,  made  the  Cardinal- 
Primate  hope  that  the  time  had  come  when  he 
might  send  Augustus  back  into  Saxony,  and 
open  the  way  to  the  throne  for  Prince  John. 
This  Prince,  who  had  formerly  been  the  inno 
cent  object  of  the  Poles'  hatred,  was  beginning 
to  be  their  idol,  in  proportion  as  King  Augus 
tus  lost  their  favour;  but  he  dare  not  even 
conceive  such  a  revolution,  of  which  the 
Cardinal  had  insensibly  laid  the  foundations. 

At  first  he  seemed  to  wish  to  reconcile  the 
King  with  the  republic.    He  sent  circular  letters 


72      History  of  Charles  XII 

apparently    dictated   by    the    spirit    of   concord 

and  charity,  a  common  and  well-known  snare, 

but  one  by  which  men  are  always  caught;  he 

wrote  a  touching  letter  to  the  King  of  Sweden, 

imploring  him,  in  the  name  of  Him  whom  all 

Christians  adore,  to  give  peace  to  Poland  and 

her  King.    Charles  XII  answered  the  Cardinal's 

intentions     rather     than     his     words,     for    he 

remained  with  his  victorious  army  in  the  Grand 

Duchy  of  Lithuania,  declaring  that  he  had  no 

desire  to  disturb  the  Diet,  that  he  was  making 

war  on  Augustus  and  the  Saxons,  and  not  on 

Poland,  and  that  far  from  attacking  the  State 

he    had    come    to    save    it    from    oppression. 

These    letters    and    answers    were    for    public 

perusal.      The    springs    which   made   the    Diet 

act  were  the  emissaries,  who  continually  came 

and    went    between    the    Cardinal    and    Count 

Piper,   and   the  private   meetings   held   at  this 

prelate's    house.     They    proposed    to    send    an 

embassy  to  Charles  XII,  and  were  unanimous 

in  their  demands  that  their  King  should  not  call 

in  the  aid  of  any  more  Russians,  and  that  he 

should  send  his  Saxon  troops  away. 

Augustus's  bad  luck  had  already  brought 
about  what  the  Diet  asked  him.  The  treaty 
made  secretly  with  the  Russians  at  Birzen  had 
turned  out  to  be  as  useless  as  it  had  seemed 
formidable.  He  was  far  from  being  able  to 
send  the  Czar  the  15,000  men  he  had  promised 
to  raise  in  the  Empire. 

The    Czar    himself,    a    dangerous    enemy    of 


History  of  Charles  XII      73 

Poland,  was  not  at  all  anxious  at  that  time 
to  help  a  divided  kingdom,  hoping  to  have 
some  share  in  the  spoils.  He  contented  him 
self  with  sending  20,000  Russians  into  Lithu 
ania,  and  they  did  more  mischief  than  the 
Swedes,  fleeing  continually  before  the  con 
queror,  and  ravaging  Polish  territory,  till  at 
last,  being  chased  by  the  Swedish  generals  and 
finding  nothing  else  to  ravage,  they  returned 
in  bands  to  their  own  country.  As  to  the 
scattered  remains  of  the  Saxon  army  which 
had  been  beaten  at  Riga,  King  Augustus  sent 
them  to  winter  and  recruit  in  Saxony,  that 
this  sacrifice  might  regain  him  the  affections 
of  the  Polish  nation  in  his  present  difficult 
position. 

Then  the  war  was  abandoned  for  a  series  of 
intrigues,  and  the  Diet  divided  into  almost 
as  many  factions  as  there  were  dukedoms. 
One  day  the  interests  of  King  Augustus  were 
paramount,  the  next  they  were  rejected. 
Everybody  clamoured  for  liberty  and  justice, 
yet  they  had  no  conception  of  either;  the  time 
was  spent  in  secret  cabals  and  public  debate. 
The  Diet  knew  nothing  about  what  they  might 
or  should  do ;  great  assemblies  seldom  agree  on 
good  measures  in  time  of  civil  uproar,  because 
bold  men  in  such  assemblies  are  generally 
factious,  while  more  reliable  men  are  usually 
timid. 

The  Diet  broke  up  in  disorder  on  the  i7th 
of  February,  1702,  after  three  months'  plot- 


74      History  of  Charles  XII 

ting  and  irresolution.  The  senators,  that  is, 
the  dukes  and  the  bishops,  remained  at  War 
saw.  The  Polish  Senate  has  the  right  of 
making  laws  provisionally,  which  the  Diets 
seldom  disannul;  this  body,  much  less  cum 
brous  and  more  used  to  business,  was  far  less 
disturbed,  and  quickly  came  to  a  resolution. 

They  agreed  to  send  the  embassy  proposed 
in  the  Diet  to  the  King  of  Sweden,  and  also 
that  the  Pospolite  should  mount  and  hold  them 
selves  ready  for  any  emergency.  They  also 
made  several  regulations  to  appease  the 
troubles  in  Lithuania,  and  still  more  to 
diminish  the  King's  authority,  though  it  was 
less  to  be  feared  than  Charles's. 

Augustus  preferred  to  receive  hard  condi 
tions  from  his  conqueror  than  from  his  sub 
jects  ;  he  therefore  determined  to  sue  for 
peace  with  the  King  of  Sweden,  and  was  on 
the  point  of  negotiating  with  him.  He  was 
obliged  to  keep  this  step  secret  from  the 
Senate,  whom  he  regarded  as  a  still  more 
implacable  foe.  As  the  affair  was  difficult  he 
intrusted  it  to  the  Countess  of  Konigsmarck, 
a  Swedish  lady  of  high  rank  to  whom  he  was 
then  attached.  This  lady,  who  was  celebrated 
throughout  the  world  for  her  wit  and  beauty, 
was  more  capable  than  any  minister  of  bring 
ing  a  negotiation  to  a  successful  issue.  Be 
sides,  as  she  had  some  property  in  Charles's 
dominions,  and  had  been  long  a  member  of 
his  Court,  she  had  a  plausible  reason  for  wait- 


History  of  Charles  XII      75 

ing  on  the  Prince.  She  came  then  to  the 
Swedish  camp  in  Lithuania,  and  first  applied 
to  Count  Piper,  who  too  lightly  promised  her 
an  audience  of  his  master. 

The  Countess,  among  the  talents  which  made 
her  one  of  the  most  delightful  persons  in 
Europe,  had  a  gift  for  speaking  several  lan 
guages  like  a  native,  and  would  sometimes 
amuse  herself  by  making  French  verses  which 
might  have  been  written  at  Versailles.  She 
made  some  for  Charles  XII.  She  introduced 
the  gods  of  antiquity,  praising  his  different 
virtues,  and  ended  as  follows — 

"  Enfin  chacun  des  Dieux  discourant  a  sa  g-loire, 
Le  placait  par  avance  au  temple  de  memoire  : 
Mais  Venus  ni  Bacchus  n'en  dirent  pas  un  mot." 

All  her  wit  and  charm  were  lost  on  such  a 
man  as  the  King  of  Sweden ;  he  obstinately 
refused  to  see  her.  She  planned  to  intercept 
him  when  he  was  taking  his  usual  horse- 
exercise.  Thus  meeting  him  one  day  in  a 
very  narrow  lane  she  alighted  as  soon  as  she 
saw  him.  The  King  bowed  without  a  word, 
turned  his  horse  and  rode  straight  back.  So 
that  the  only  satisfaction  the  Countess  got 
from  her  journey  was  the  conviction  that  she 
was  the  only  person  of  whom  the  King  was 
afraid. 

The  King  of  Poland  was  then  obliged  to 
throw  himself  into  the  arms  of  the  Senate. 
He  made  them  two  proposals  by  means  of  the 
Count  of  Mariemburg;  either  that  they  should 


76      History  of  Charles  XII 

leave  him  the  control  of  the  army,  which  he 
would  pay  two  quarters  in  advance  out  of  his 
own  pocket,  or  else  that  they  should  allow 
him  to  bring  12,000  Saxons  into  Poland.  The 
Cardinal  replied  as  severely  as  the  King  of 
Sweden  had  done.  He  told  the  Count  of 
Mariemburg,  in  the  name  of  the  Assembly, 
"  That  they  had  decided  to  send  an  embassy 
to  Charles  XII,  and  that  it  was  not  his  affair 
to  introduce  Saxons." 

In  this  extremity  the  King  was  anxious  to 
preserve  at  least  a  semblance  of  royal  authority. 
He  sent  one  of  his  chamberlains  to  Charles 
to  inquire  when  and  how  his  Swedish  Majesty 
would  receive  the  embassy  of  the  King,  his 
master,  and  of  the  State.  Unfortunately  they 
had  neglected  to  provide  this  messenger  with 
a  passport;  so  Charles  threw  him  into  prison, 
with  the  remark  that  he  was  waiting  for  an 
embassy  from  the  State,  and  none  from  King 
Augustus. 

Then  Charles,  leaving  garrisons  behind  him 
in  some  of  the  Lithuanian  towns,  advanced  to 
Grodno,  a  town  famous  in  Europe  for  the 
Diets  held  there,  but  ill-built  and  worse  forti 
fied.  Some  miles  away  from  Grodno  he  met 
the  embassy  sent  by  the  Polish  State.  Charles 
XII  received  them  in  his  tent  with  some  dis 
play  of  military  pomp ;  their  proposals  were  full 
of  evasion  and  obscurity,  they  seemed  afraid 
of  Charles,  and  disliked  Augustus,  but  they 
were  ashamed  of  deposing  a  king  whom  they 


History  of  Charles  XII      77 

had  elected  at  the  order  of  a  foreigner. 
Nothing-  was  settled,  and  Charles  gave  them 
to  understand  that  he  would  give  them  a 
decision  at  Warsaw. 

His  march  was  preceded  by  a  manifesto 
which  the  Cardinal  and  his  party  spread  over 
Poland  in  eight  days.  By  this  document 
Charles  invited  all  the  Poles  to  join  him  in 
vengeance,  pretending  that  their  interests  were 
the  same.  They  were,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  very 
different,  but  the  manifesto,  seconded  by  a 
great  party,  by  disorder  in  the  Senate  and  by 
the  approach  of  the  conqueror,  made  a  great 
impression.  They  were  obliged  to  own  Charles 
for  a  protector,  since  it  was  his  will,  and  it 
was  well  for  them  that  he  was  content  with 
this  title.  The  Senators  who  were  opposed  to 
Augustus  advertised  the  manifesto  in  his  very 
face,  and  those  who  were  on  his  side  kept 
silence.  At  last  when  they  heard  that  Charles 
was  advancing  by  forced  marches,  they  all 
took  panic,  and  prepared  to  flee.  The  Cardinal 
was  one  of  the  first  to  leave  Warsaw,  the 
majority  hastened  to  flee,  some  to  await  the 
issue  of  affairs  on  their  own  estates,  some  to 
arm  their  adherents.  With  the  King  there 
remained  only  the  Imperial  and  Russian  am 
bassadors,  the  Pope's  Legate,  and  some  few 
bishops  and  counts,  who  were  attached  to  him. 
He  was  forced  to  flee,  and  nothing  had  yet 
been  decided  in  his  favour.  Before  his  de 
parture,  he  hastened  to  take  counsel  with  the 


78      History  of  Charles  XII 

small  number  of  Senators  who  remained. 
But  though  they  were  anxious  to  serve  him  they 
were  still  Poles,  and  had  all  got  so  great  an 
aversion  for  Saxon  troops,  that  they  dare  not 
allow  him  to  bring  6,000  men  for  his  defence, 
and  they  further  voted  that  these  6,000  men 
should  be  commanded  by  the  Grand  Duke 
of  Poland,  and  immediately  sent  back  after 
peace  had  been  made.  As  to  the  armies  of 
the  republic,  they  put  them  at  his  disposal. 

After  this  settlement  the  King  left  Warsaw, 
being  too  weak  to  oppose  the  enemy,  and  little 
satisfied  with  his  own  party.  He  at  once  pub 
lished  his  orders  for  assembling  the  Pospolite 
and  the  armies,  which  were  little  more  than  a 
name. 

There  was  nothing  to  be  hoped  from  Lithu 
ania,  where  the  Swedes  were  posted ;  while  the 
Polish  army,  reduced  in  number,  lacked  arms, 
provisions  and  the  will  to  fight.  The  majority 
of  the  nobles,  intimidated,  undecided,  or  dis 
affected,  stayed  on  their  own  lands.  It  was  in 
vain  that  the  King,  authorized  by  law,  ordered 
every  noble  to  appear  on  horseback  under  pain 
of  death,  and  to  follow  him;  they  began  to 
argue  that  they  need  not  obey  him.  His  chief 
trust  was  in  the  troops  of  the  Electorate, 
where,  as  the  form  of  government  was  abso 
lute,  he  did  not  fear  disobedience.  He  had 
already  given  orders  to  2,000  Saxons,  who 
were  marching  rapidly.  He  also  recalled 
8,000,  which  he  had  promised  to  the  Emperor 


History  of  Charles  XII      79 

for  the  French  war,  but  which  in  his  difficult 
position  he  was  forced  to  withdraw.  The  in 
troduction  of  so  many  Saxons  into  Poland 
meant  the  provocation  of  general  disaffection, 
and  the  violation  of  the  law  made  by  his  own 
party,  allowing  him  a  force  of  only  6,000.  But 
he  realized  that  if  he  were  victor  they  would 
not  dare  to  complain,  while  if  he  were  beaten 
they  would  never  forgive  the  introduction  of 
6,000  men.  While  his  soldiers  were  arriving  in 
groups,  and  he  was  passing  from  county  to 
county  collecting  the  nobles  who  adhered  to 
him,  the  King  of  Sweden  at  last  arrived  before 
Warsaw  on  the  5th  of  May,  1702.  The  gates 
were  opened  to  him  at  the  first  summons ;  he 
sent  away  the  Polish  garrison,  disbanded  the 
militia,  set  up  military  posts  of  his  own  every 
where,  and  ordered  the  inhabitants  to  disarm ; 
then  content  with  that,  and  not  wishing  to 
exasperate  them,  he  only  demanded  a  tribute  of 
100,000  livres.  King  Augustus  was  at  that 
time  assembling  his  forces  at  Cracow,  and  was 
very  surprised  to  see  the  Cardinal-Primate 
among  them.  This  man  wished,  perhaps,  to 
maintain  an  external  reputation  to  the  last, 
and  to  dethrone  his  King  with  every  mark  of 
outward  respect.  He  gave  him  to  understand 
that  the  King  of  Sweden  would  grant  reason 
able  terms,  and  humbly  asked  permission  to 
go  to  see  the  King.  King  Augustus  granted 
what  he  was  powerless  to  refuse,  and  so  left 
him  free  to  do  him  an  injury.  The  Cardinal 


So     History  of  Charles  XII 

hastened  immediately  to  see  the  King  of 
Sweden,  to  whom  he  had  not  yet  ventured  to 
present  himself.  He  met  the  Prince  at  Praag, 
not  far  from  Warsaw,  but  without  the  cere 
mony  which  had  been  shown  towards  the 
ambassadors  of  the  State. 

He  found  the  conqueror  clad  in  a  dress  of 
coarse  blue  cloth  with  brass  buttons,  jack 
boots,  and  buffalo-skin  gloves  reaching  to  the 
elbow,  in  a  room  without  hangings,  together 
with  the  Duke  of  Holstein,  his  brother-in-law, 
Count  Piper,  his  prime  minister,  and  several 
officers.  The  King  came  forward  to  meet  the 
Cardinal,  and  they  stood  talking  for  a  quarter 
of  an  hour,  when  Charles  concluded  by  saying 
aloud,  "  I  will  never  grant  the  Poles  peace 
till  they  have  elected  another  king."  The 
Cardinal,  who  had  expected  this,  immediately 
reported  it  to  all  the  counts,  saying  that  he 
was  most  sorry  about  it,  but  pointing  out  the 
necessity  for  complying  with  the  conqueror's 
wishes. 

At  this  news  the  King  of  Poland  saw  that 
he  must  either  lose  his  crown  or  defend  it  in 
battle,  and  he  put  forth  his  best  resources 
for  this  last  contest.  All  his  Saxon  forces  had 
arrived  from  the  frontiers  of  Saxony.  The 
nobility  of  the  Palatinate  of  Cracow,  where  he 
still  was,  came  in  a  body  to  offer  him  their 
services.  He  personally  exhorted  every  one 
of  these  to  remember  the  oaths  they  had  taken, 
and  they  promised  him  that  they  would  fight 


History  of  Charles  XII      81 

to  the  last  drop  of  their  blood  in  his  defence. 
Fortified  by  this  help,  and  by  the  troops  called 
the  crown  corps,  he  went  for  the  first  time  to 
attack  the  King  of  Sweden,  and  soon  found 
him  advancing-  towards  Cracow. 

The  two  Kings  met  on  the  igth  of  July,  1702, 
in  a  large  plain  near  Clissau,  between  Warsaw 
and  Cracow.  Augustus  had  nearly  20,000 
men,  and  Charles  not  more  than  12,000;  the 
battle  began  by  a  discharge  of  artillery.  At 
the  first  volley,  discharged  by  the  Saxons,  the 
Duke  of  Holstein,  who  commanded  the 
Swedish  cavalry,  a  young  prince  of  great 
courage  and  valour,  received  a  cannon-shot  in 
his  loins.  The  King  asked  if  he  were  dead, 
and  when  they  answered  in  the  affirmative  he 
said  nothing,  the  tears  fell  from  his  eyes,  and 
then  covering  his  face  with  his  hands  for  a 
moment,  he  spurred  his  horse  furiously,  and 
rushed  into  the  thick  of  the  fight  at  the  head 
of  his  guards. 

The  King  of  Poland  did  all  that  could  be 
expected  of  a  prince  fighting  for  his  crown ; 
he  thrice  personally  led  his  men  in  a  charge, 
but  the  good  fortune  of  Charles  carried  the 
day,  and  he  gained  a  complete  victory.  The 
enemy's  camp,  artillery  and  flags,  and  Augus 
tus's  war-chest  were  left  in  his  hands. 

He  did  not  delay  on  the  field  of  battle,  but 
marched  straight  to  Cracow,  pursuing  the 
King  of  Poland,  who  fled  before  him.  The 
citizens  of  Cracow  were  brave  enough  to  shut 

G 


82      History  of  Charles  XII 

the  gates  upon  the  conqueror.  He  had  them 
broken  open,  the  garrison  did  not  dare  to  fire 
a  single  shot ;  they  were  chased  with  whips  and 
sticks  to  the  castle,  where  the  King  entered 
with  them.  One  gunner  ventured  to  prepare  to 
fire  a  cannon;  Charles  rushed  up  to  him  and 
snatched  the  match  away;  he  then  threw  him 
self  at  the  King's  feet.  Three  Swedish  regi 
ments  were  lodged  at  free  quarters  in  the  town, 
and  the  citizens  were  taxed  by  a  tribute  of 
100,000  rixdollars.  Count  Steinbock,  having 
heard  that  some  treasure  had  been  hidden  in 
the  tomb  of  the  Polish  kings,  in  the  Church  of 
Saint  Nicholas  at  Cracow,  had  them  opened ; 
they  only  found  gold  and  silver  ornaments  be 
longing  to  the  church ;  they  took  some  of  them 
and  Charles  sent  a  golden  chalice  to  a  Swedish 
church;  this  would  have  raised  the  Polish 
Catholics  against  him,  if  anything  could  have 
withstood  the  terror  inspired  by  his  arms. 
He  left  Cracow  fully  resolved  to  pursue 
Augustus  without  intermission,  but  within  a 
few  miles  of  the  city  his  horse  fell  and  broke 
his  thigh-bone,  so  that  he  had  to  be  carried 
back  to  Cracow,  where  he  lay  in  bed  in  the 
hands  of  the  surgeons  six  weeks.  This  acci 
dent  gave  Augustus  breathing  space.  He  had 
the  report  immediately  spread  throughout 
Poland  and  Germany  that  Charles  had  been 
killed  by  his  fall.  This  false  report,  which  was 
believed  for  some  time,  filled  all  men's  minds 
with  astonishment  and  uncertainty. 


History  of  Charles  XII      83 

During-  this  slight  interval  he  assembled  all 
the  orders  of  the  kingdom  to  Mariemburg. 
The  meeting  was  a  large  one,  and  few  of  the 
Counts  refused  to  send  their  deputies. 

He  regained  popularity  by  presents, 
promises,  and  the  affability  which  is  so  neces 
sary  to  absolute  kings  to  make  them  popular, 
and  to  elective  kings  as  an  added  support  to 
their  power.  The  Diet  was  soon  undeceived 
concerning  the  false  report,  but  the  impulse 
had  already  been  given  to  that  great  body,  and 
they  allowed  themselves  to  be  carried  along  by 
the  impulse,  and  all  the  members  swore  fidelity 
to  the  King. 

The  Cardinal  himself,  pretending  to  be  still 
attached  to  King  Augustus,  came  to  the  Diet. 
He  kissed  the  King's  hand,  and  did  not  scruple 
to  take  the  oath  with  the  rest.  The  oath 
implied  that  they  had  never  attempted,  and 
never  would  attempt  anything  against  Augus 
tus.  The  King  excused  the  Cardinal  from  the 
first  part  of  the  oath,  and  he  blushed  as  he 
swore  to  the  rest. 

This  Diet  resolved  that  the  republic  of 
Poland  should  maintain  an  army  of  50,000  men 
at  their  own  expense  for  the  service  of  the 
State,  that  they  should  give  the  Swedes  six 
weeks  to  declare  for  peace  or  war,  and  the 
same  time  to  the  Princess  Sapieha,  the  authors 
of  the  troubles  in  Lithuania,  to  come  and  beg 
pardon  of  the  King  of  Poland. 

In  the  meantime  the  King  of  Sweden  was 


84      History  of  Charles  XII 

cured  of  his  wound,  and  carried  everything  be 
fore  him.  Still  pursuing  his  plan  of  making 
the  Poles  dethrone  their  King  themselves,  he 
had,  by  means  of  the  intrigues  of  the  Cardinal, 
a  new  assembly  called  at  Warsaw,  to  oppose 
that  of  Lubin.  His  generals  pointed  out  to 
him  that  the  affair  might  still  be  protracted  and 
might  at  last  prove  abortive,  that  during  this 
time  the  Russians  were  daily  attacking  the 
troops  he  had  left  behind  in  Livonia  and 
Ingria,  that  the  Swedes  were  not  invariably 
successful,  and  that  his  presence  there  would 
in  all  probability  shortly  be  necessary.  Charles, 
who  was  as  dogged  in  the  carrying  out  of  his 
plans  as  he  was  brisk  in  his  action,  answered, 
"  Should  I  stay  here  fifty  years,  I  would  not 
leave  the  place  till  I  have  dethroned  the  King 
of  Poland." 

He  left  the  Assembly  of  Warsaw  to  dispute 
with  that  of  Lubin  in  debates  and  writings, 
and  to  seek  precedents  to  justify  their  proceed 
ings  in  the  laws  of  kingdoms,  laws  which  are 
always  equivocable,  and  interpreted  by  each 
party  at  will. 

For  himself,  having  increased  his  victorious 
troops  by  6,000  cavalry  and  8,000  infantry, 
he  marched  against  the  rest  of  the  Saxon 
army  he  had  beaten  at  Clissau,  and  which  had 
time  to  rally  and  recruit  while  he  had  been 
kept  in  bed  by  his  fall. 

This  army  avoided  him  and  withdrew  to 
wards  Brussels  on  the  north-west  of  Warsaw. 


History  of  Charles  XII      85 

The  river  Bug  lay  between  him  and  the 
enemy.  Charles  swam  across  at  the  head  of 
his  horse,  while  the  infantry  sought  a  ford 
higher  up. 

On  May  i,  1703,  he  came  upon  the  Saxons 
at  a  place  called  Pultask.  They  were  com 
manded  by  General  Stenau  and  were  about 
10,000  in  number.  The  King  of  Sweden  in 
his  precipitate  march  had  not  brought  more 
with  him,  being  sure  that  fewer  would  have 
sufficed.  The  fear  of  his  arms  was  so  great 
that  one  half  of  the  army  ran  away  at  his 
approach. 

General  Stenau  held  his  ground  for  a  few 
minutes  with  two  regiments;  but  the  moment 
after  he  was  drawn  into  the  general  retreat  of 
his  army,  which  was  dispersed  before  it  was 
beaten.  The  Swedes  did  not  make  1,000 
prisoners,  nor  were  there  600  killed ;  they  had 
more  difficulty  in  pursuing  than  in  defeating 
them. 

Augustus,  who  had  nothing  left  but  the 
scattered  remnants  of  the  Saxons  who  had  been 
beaten  on  all  sides,  hastily  withdrew  to  Thorn, 
a  town  in  the  kingdom  of  Prussia,  on  the  Vis 
tula,  and  under  Polish  protection.  Charles  at 
once  prepared  to  besiege  it.  The  King  of 
Poland,  realizing  his  danger,  withdrew  to 
Saxony,  but  Charles,  in  spite  of  brisk  marches, 
swimming  across  rivers,  hurrying  along  with 
his  infantry,  and  riding  behind  his  cavalry, 
was  not  able  to  bring  his  cannon  up  to  Thorn ; 


86     History  of  Charles  XII 

he  was  obliged  to  wait   till   it  was  sent   him 
from  Sweden  by  sea. 

In  the  meantime,  he  took  up  a  position  with 
in  some  miles  of  the  town,  and  would  often 
advance  too  near  the  ramparts  to  reconnoitre ; 
the  plain  coat  that  he  always  wore  was  of 
greater  service  to  him  than  he  had  ever 
expected  on  these  dangerous  walks;  it  pro 
tected  him  from  being  marked  out  by  the 
enemy  for  a  shot.  One  day,  when  he  had  gone 
very  near  with  one  of  his  generals,  called 
Lieven,  who  was  dressed  in  blue  trimmed  with 
gold,  he  feared  that  he  would  be  seen.  With 
the  magnanimity  which  was  natural  to  him, 
which  prevented  him  from  remembering  that 
he  was  exposing  his  own  life  for  a  subject,  he 
told  Lieven  to  walk  behind  him.  Lieven,  realiz 
ing  too  late  the  mistake  he  had  made  in  putting 
on  a  noticeable  uniform  which  brought  those 
near  him  also  into  risk,  and  being  equally  afraid 
for  the  King's  safety  in  whatever  place  he 
was,  hesitated  as  to  whether  he  ought  to  obey 
him.  While  he  was  debating  with  himself 
for  a  second,  the  King  took  him  by  the  arm, 
and  screened  him  :  at  that  very  instant  a  dis 
charge  of  cannon  took  them  in  the  flank,  and 
struck  the  general  dead  on  the  very  spot  which 
the  King  had  just  left.  The  death  of  this  man, 
killed  directly  in  his  stead,  and  because  he  was 
trying  to  save  him,  confirmed  him  in  the 
opinion  he  had  always  had  about  predestina 
tion,  and  made  him  believe  that  his  fate  which 


History  of  Charles  XII      87 

had  saved  him  under  such  extraordinary  circum 
stances  was  reserving  him  for  the  execution 
of  great  designs. 

All  his  schemes  succeeded,  and  he  was 
equally  fortunate  in  negotiations  and  in  war; 
his  influence  was  felt  throughout  the  whole 
of  Poland,  for  his  Grand  Marshal  Renschild 
was  in  the  heart  of  those  dominions  with  a 
large  section  of  the  army.  Nearly  30,000 
generals,  scattered  through  the  north  and  east 
on  the  Russian  frontier,  withstood  the  efforts 
of  the  whole  Russian  Empire;  and  Charles 
was  in  the  west,  at  the  other  end  of  Poland, 
at  the  head  of  picked  troops. 

The  King  of  Denmark,  tied  down  by  the 
treaty  of  Travendal,  which  he  was  too  weak 
to  break,  remained  quiet.  He  was  prudently 
afraid  of  showing  his  vexation  at  seeing  the 
King  of  Sweden  so  near  his  estates.  Further, 
towards  the  south-west,  between  the  Elbe  and 
Weser,  lay  the  Duchy  of  Bremen,  the  last 
territory  formerly  acquired  by  the  Swedes, 
filled  with  strong  garrisons,  and  opening  the 
way  for  the  conqueror  to  Saxony  and  the 
Empire.  Thus  from  the  German  Ocean 
almost  to  the  Gulf  of  Borysthenes,  that  is, 
across  the  whole  breadth  of  Europe,  and  up 
to  the  gates  of  Moscow,  all  was  in  consterna 
tion,  and  a  general  revolution  was  imminent. 
His  vessels  were  masters  of  the  Baltic,  and 
employed  in  transporting  prisoners  from 
Poland  into  his  own  country.  Sweden  alone, 


88      History  of  Charles  XII 

at  peace  during  these  great  doings,  was  re 
joicing  in  deep  peace,  and  in  the  glory  of  her 
King,  for  which  she  did  not  have  to  pay  the 
price,  for  his  victorious  troops  were  maintained 
at  the  expense  of  the  conquered. 

During  this  general  peace  of  the  North  be 
fore  the  arms  of  Charles  XII,  the  town  of 
Dantzig  ventured  to  offend  him.  Fourteen 
frigates  and  forty  transports  were  bringing  the 
King  reinforcements  of  6,000  men,  with  cannon 
and  ammunition  to  finish  the  siege  of  Thorn. 
These  had  to  pass  up  the  Vistula ;  at  the  mouth 
of  that  river  lies  the  rich  town  of  Dantzig,  a 
free  town,  enjoying  the  same  privileges  in 
Poland  as  the  Imperial  towns  have  in  Germany. 
Its  liberty  had  been  alternately  attacked  by  the 
Danes,  Swedes,  and  some  German  princes, 
and  was  only  saved  by  the  mutual  jealousy 
of  these  Powers.  Count  Steinbock,  one  of  the 
Swedish  generals,  assembled  the  magistrates  in 
the  name  of  the  King,  and  demanded  a  passage 
and  ammunition  for  his  troops.  The  magis 
trates,  showing  an  unusual  rashness  in  those 
treating  with  their  superior,  dare  neither  abso 
lutely  refuse  nor  yet  exactly  grant  what  he 
demanded.  The  general  compelled  them  to 
give  him  more  than  he  had  asked;  and  even 
exacted  from  the  town  a  contribution  of 
100,000  crowns  to  make  up  for  their  rash 
denial. 

At  last  the  recruits,  the  cannon  and  the 
ammunition  having  arrived  before  Thorn,  the 


History  of  Charles  XII      89 

siege  was  begun  on  the  22nd  of  September. 
Robel,  governor  of  the  place,  defended  it  for 
a  month  with  a  garrison  of  5,000  men,  and 
then  it  was  forced  to  surrender  at  discretion. 
Robel  was  presented  unarmed  to  the  King. 
His  Majesty  never  missed  a  chance  of  honour 
ing  merit  in  a  foe,  and  gave  him  a  sword  with 
his  own  hand,  together  with  a  considerable 
present  of  money,  and  sent  him  away  on  parole. 
But  the  town,  which  was  small  and  poor,  was 
condemned  to  pay  40,000  crowns,  an  excessive 
sum  for  it. 

Elbing,  standing  on  an  arm  of  the  Vistula, 
was  founded  by  the  Teutonic  Knights,  and 
had  been  annexed  to  Poland.  It  did  not  take 
advantage  of  the  mistake  of  the  Dantzig 
townsfolk,  hesitated  too  long  about  giving 
passage  to  the  Swedes,  and  was  more  severely 
punished  than  Dantzig. 

Charles  entered  it  in  person  on  the  i$th  of 
December,  at  the  head  of  4,000  men  armed 
with  bayonets.  The  inhabitants,  in  terror, 
threw  themselves  upon  their  knees  in  the 
streets,  and  begged  for  mercy.  He  disarmed 
them,  quartered  his  troops  in  their  houses,  and 
then  summoning  the  chief  magistrate  he  de 
manded  a  sum  of  260,000  crowns,  to  be 
handed  over  that  very  day.  He  seized  the  200 
pieces  of  cannon,  and  the  400,000  charges  of 
powder,  which  were  in  the  town;  a  victory 
gained  would  not  have  brought  -him  so 
many  advantages.  All  these  successes  were 


90      History  of  Charles  XII 

the  precursors  to  the  dethroning  of  King 
Augustus. 

The  Cardinal  had  scarcely  taken  the  oath  of 
fealty  to  his  King  when  he  repaired  to  the 
assembly  at  Warsaw,  still  under  pretence  of 
making  peace.  He  talked  of  nothing  but  peace 
.and  obedience,  but  was  attended  by  3,000 
soldiers  raised  on  his  own  estate.  At  last  he 
threw  off  the  mask,  and  declared  in  the  name 
of  the  Assembly  that  "  Augustus,  Elector  of 
Saxony,  was  incapable  of  wearing  the  crown 
of  Poland."  They  then  unanimously  pro 
nounced  the  throne  vacant. 

The  intention  of  the  King  of  Sweden,  and  so 
necessarily  of  this  Diet,  was  to  give  the  throne 
to  the  Prince  Jacques  Sobieski,  whose  father 
Jean  had  possessed  it. 

Jacques  Sobieski  was  then  at  Breslau,  in 
Silesia,  impatiently  waiting  for  the  crown 
which  his  father  had  worn. 

One  day  he  was  hunting  some  miles  from 
Breslau,  with  Prince  Constantine,  one  of  his 
brothers,  when  thirty  Saxon  cavaliers,  sent 
secretly  by  King  Augustus,  suddenly  rushed 
from  a  neighbouring  wood,  surrounded  the  two 
princes,  and  carried  them  off  without  resist 
ance.  Relays  of  horses  were  ready  a  little 
distance  off,  on  which  they  were  at  once  taken 
to  Leipsig,  and  closely  guarded. 

This  step  upset  the  plans  of  Charles,  the 
Cardinal  and  the  Assembly  of  Warsaw. 

Fortune,   which  sports  with  crowned  heads, 


History  of  Charles  XII      91 

almost  brought  the  King-  of  Poland  to  the 
point  of  being  taken  himself.  He  was  at  table, 
three  miles  from  Cracow,  relying  on  an 
advanced  guard,  posted  at  a  distance,  when 
General  Renschild  appeared  suddenly,  after 
having  surprised  this  guard.  The  King  of 
Poland  had  only  time  to  mount  with  eleven 
others.  The  general  pursued  him  for  eight 
days,  expecting  to  seize  him  at  any  moment. 
The  King  had  almost  reached  Sendomir;  the 
Swedish  general  was  still  in  pursuit,  and  it 
was  only  through  extraordinary  good  luck  that 
the  Prince  escaped. 

In  the  meantime  the  King's  party  and  that  of 
the  Cardinal  were  calling  each  other  traitors 
to  their  country. 

The  army  of  the  Crown  was  divided  into 
two  factions.  Augustus,  forced  at  last  to 
accept  help  from  the  Russians,  regretted  that 
he  had  not  applied  to  them  sooner;  he  hurried 
alternately  into  Saxony,  where  his  resources 
were  at  an  end,  and  into  Poland  where  they 
dare  not  help  him.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
King  of  Sweden  was  ruling  calmly  and  suc 
cessfully  in  Poland.  Count  Piper,  who  was  as 
great  a  politician  as  his  master  was  a  hero, 
seized  the  opportunity  to  advise  Charles  to 
take  the  crown  of  Poland  for  himself;  he 
pointed  out  to  him  how  easily  he  could  carry 
out  the  scheme  with  a  victorious  army  and 
a  powerful  party  in  the  heart  of  a  kingdom 
which  he  had  already  subdued ;  he  tempted  him 


92      History  of  Charles  XII 

by  the  title  of  Defender  of  the  Reformed  Faith, 
a  name  which  flattered  Charles's  ambition. 
He  could,  he  said,  easily  play  (in  Poland)  the 
part  which  Gustavus  Vasa  had  played  in 
Sweden,  and  introduce  Lutheranism,  and  break 
the  tyranny  of  the  nobility  and  the  clergy  over 
the  people.  Charles  was  tempted  for  a 
moment;  but  glory  was  his  idol;  he  sacrificed 
to  it  both  his  interests  and  the  pleasure  he 
would  have  had  in  taking  Poland  from  the 
Pope.  He  told  Count  Piper  that  he  would 
rather  give  away  kingdoms  than  gain  them, 
and  added  smiling,  "  You  were  born  to  be  the 
minister  of  an  Italian  prince." 

Charles  was  still  near  Thorn,  in  that  part 
of  the  kingdom  of  Prussia  which  belongs  to 
Poland ;  from  there  he  had  an  eye  on  what 
was  going  on  at  Warsaw,  and  kept  his  power 
ful  neighbours  in  awe.  Prince  Alexander, 
brother  of  the  two  Sobieskis,  who  had  been 
carried  off  to  Silesia,  came  to  ask  vengeance 
of  him.  The  King  was  all  the  more  ready 
to  grant  it,  because  he  thought  it  easy,  and 
that  he  would  gain  his  own  vengeance  too. 
But  as  he  was  eager  to  give  Poland  a  king, 
he  proposed  that  Prince  Alexander  should  take 
the  crown,  which  fortune  seemed  bent  on  deny 
ing  to  his  brother.  He  did  not  in  the  least 
expect  a  refusal,  but  Prince  Alexander  told 
him  that  nothing  would  ever  persuade  him  to 
take  advantage  of  his  elder  brother's  misfor 
tune.  The  King  of  Sweden,  Count  Piper,  all 


History  of  Charles  XII      93 

his  friends,  and  especially  the  young  Palatine 
of  Posnania,  Stanislas  Leczinski,  pressed  him 
to  accept.  But  he  was  decided.  The  neigh 
bouring  princes  were  astonished  at  the  news, 
and  did  not  know  which  to  admire  most — a  king 
who  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  gave  away  the 
crown  of  Poland,  or  Prince  Alexander  who 
refused  it. 


BOOK   III 


BOOK    III 

Stanislas  Leczinski  chosen  King-  of  Poland—Death  of 
the  Cardinal-Primate — Great  retreat  of  General 
Schullemburg—  Exploits  of  the  Czar — Foundation 
of  Petersburg — Charles's  entry  into  Saxony  —The 
peace  of  Altranstadt — Augustus  abdicates  in  favour 
of  Stanislas— General  Patkul,  the  Czar's  pleni 
potentiary,  is  broken  on  the  wheel,  and  quartered— 
Charles  receives  the  ambassadors  of  foreign  princes 
in  Saxony — He  also  goes  to  Dresden  to  see 
Augustus  before  his  departure. 

YOUNG  Stanislas  Leckinski  was  therefore  de 
puted  by  the  Assembly  at  Warsaw  to  give  the 
King  of  Sweden  an  account  of  several  differ 
ences  that  had  arisen  among  them  since  Jacques 
had  been  carried  off.  Stanislas'  personal  ap 
pearance  was  pleasing,  full  of  courage  and 
sweetness,  with  that  frank  open  air  which  is 
the  greatest  of  outward  advantages,  and  a 
better  seconder  of  a  man's  words  than  elo 
quence  itself.  Charles  was  impressed  by  his 
discreet  allusions  to  King  Augustus,  the 
Assembly,  the  Cardinal  and  the  different  inter 
ests  which  rent  Poland.  King  Stanislas  did 
the  writer  the  honour  of  relating  his  conversa 
tion  with  the  King,  which  took  place  in 
Latin.  "  How  can  we  hold  an  election  if  the 
two  Princes  and  Constantine  are  absent?"  he 
inquired.  "  How  can  you  get  the  State  out 
of  the  difficulty  without  an  election?"  answered 
the  King. 

97  H 


98      History  of  Charles  XII 

This  conversation  was  the  only  intrigue 
which  placed  Stanislas  on  his  throne.  Charles 
prolonged  the  conversation  purposely,  that  he 
might  the  better  sound  the  young  deputy's 
genius.  After  the  conference  he  said  aloud 
that  he  had  never  met  a  man  so  fit  to  reconcile 
all  parties.  He  immediately  made  inquiries 
about  the  character  of  Leczinski,  and  found 
that  he  was  brave  and  inured  to  fatigue,  that 
he  always  slept  on  a  kind  of  straw  mattress, 
and  that  he  required  no  personal  service  from 
his  attendants;  that  he  was  more  temperate 
than  is  usual  in  that  climate,  economical,  adored 
by  his  servants,  and  perhaps  the  only  popular 
prince  in  Poland,  at  a  time  when  all  ties  were 
broken  but  those  of  interest  and  faction.  This 
character,  which  corresponded  in  many  respects 
with  his  own,  made  him  make  up  his  mind 
finally.  He  remarked  aloud  after  the  meeting, 
"There  is  a  man  who  will  always  be  my 
friend,"  and  people  knew  that  that  meant, 
"  There  is  a  man  who  shall  be  king." 

When  the  Primate  of  Poland  heard  that  the 
King  had  nominated  the  Palatine  Leczinski,  he 
hastened  to  Charles  to  try  to  make  him  change 
his  mind,  for  he  wished  to  put  the  crown  on 
the  head  of  a  certain  Lubomirski.  "  But  what 
objection  have  you  to  Stanislas?"  asked  the 
conqueror.  "  Sire,"  said  the  Primate,  "he  is 
too  young."  "He  is  much  about  my  own 
age,"  answered  the  King  dryly,  turning  his 
back  on  the  Prelate.  Then  he  sent  Count 


History  of  Charles  XII      99 

Horn  to  Warsaw  at  once  to  notify  the  Assembly 
that  they  must  elect  a  king  in  three  days,  and 
that  they  must  choose  Stanislas  Leczinski. 
Count  Horn  arrived  on  the  7th  July,  and  fixed 
the  election  for  the  i2th,  just  as  if  he  were 
arranging  the  decampment  of  a  battalion.  The 
Cardinal-Primate,  disappointed  of  the  fruit  of 
so  many  intrigues,  returned  to  the  Assembly, 
where  he  left  no  stone  unturned  to  ruin  the 
election  in  which  he  had  had  no  share;  but 
the  King  of  Sweden  arrived  incognito  at  War 
saw,  so  that  he  had  to  be  silent.  All  that  the 
Primate  could  do  was  to  absent  himself  from 
the  election  :  he  took  up  the  position  of  a 
neutral,  being  unable  to  oppose  the  conqueror 
and  unwilling  to  assist  him. 

On  Saturday,  i2th  July,  the  day  appointed 
for  the  election,  the  Assembly  met  at  Colo,  at 
about  three  in  the  afternoon.  They  met  there  by 
arrangement,  and  the  Bishop  of  Posnania  pre 
sided  instead  of  the  Cardinal.  Count  Horn 
and  two  other  officers  were  present  at  the  cere 
mony,  as  ambassadors  extraordinary  from 
Charles  to  the  Republic.  The  session  lasted 
till  nine  in  the  evening,  and  the  Bishop  brought 
it  to  an  end  by  declaring  in  the  name  of  the 
Diet  that  Stanislas  was  elected  King  of  Poland. 
They  all  threw  their  caps  into  the  air,  and 
the  acclamations  stifled  the  cries  of  the 
opposers. 

It  was  no  use  for  the  Cardinal  and  his  party 
to  stay  away  from   the    elections  ;    they  were 


ioo     History  of  Charles  XII 

all  obliged  the  next  day  to  come  and  pay 
homage  to  the  new  King,  who  received  them 
as  if  he  were  quite  satisfied  with  their  conduct ; 
their  greatest  mortification  was  that  they  had 
to  attend  him  to  the  King  of  Sweden's  quarters. 
His  Majesty  gave  all  honours  to  the  King  he 
had  just  made,  and,  to  add  weight  to  his 
new  dignity,  assigned  money  and  troops  for 
his  use. 

Charles  XII  left  Warsaw  at  once  to  proceed 
to  the  completion  of  the  conquest  of  Poland. 
He  had  ordered  his  army  to  meet  before 
Leopold,  the  capital  of  the  great  Palatinate  of 
Russia,  a  place  important  in  itself,  but  still 
more  so  for  the  riches  it  held.  It  was  thought 
that  by  means  of  the  fortifications,  which  King 
Augustus  had  made  there,  it  would  hold  out 
fifteen  days.  The  conqueror  invested  it  on  the 
5th,  and  took  it  the  following  day  by  assault. 
All  who  resisted  were  put  to  the  sword.  The 
victors,  who  were  now  masters  of  the  town, 
did  not  disperse  for  pillage,  in  spite  of  the 
reports  concerning  treasure  in  Leopold  :  they 
ranged  themselves  in  battle  array  in  the  great 
square.  The  King  then  proclaimed,  by  sound 
ing  a  trumpet,  that  all  who  had  anything  be 
longing  to  King  Augustus  or  his  adherents 
should  bring  them  themselves  before  sunset  on 
pain  of  death.  The  arrangements  were  so  well 
made  that  few  dare  disobey  him,  and  they 
brought  him  400  chests,  filled  with  gold  and 
silver  coin,  plate  and  other  things  of  value. 


History  of  Charles  XII     101 

The  beginning-  of  Stanislas*  reign  was  con 
temporaneous  with  a  very  different  event. 
Some  business  for  which  he  must  be  present 
had  forced  him  to  remain  in  Warsaw  :  he  had 
with  him  his  mother,  his  wife  and  two 
daughters ;  the  Cardinal,  the  Bishop  of  Pos- 
nania  and  some  prominent  Poles  made  up  his 
new  court.  His  guards  were  6,000  Poles  of 
the  royal  army,  who  had  lately  entered  his 
service,  but  whose  fidelity  had  not  yet  been 
tried.  General  Horn,  governor  of  the  town, 
had  only  about  1,500  Swedes  with  him.  They 
were  at  Warsaw  in  peace,  and  Stanislas  was 
reckoning  on  starting  in  a  few  days  for  the 
conquest  of  Leopold,  when  suddenly  they  heard 
that  an  immense  army  was  approaching  the 
town.  It  was  King  Augustus,  who  was  making 
a  fresh  effort;  by  one  of  the  finest  marches 
ever  made  he  was  coming  up  with  20,000  men 
to  fall  on  Warsaw,  after  having  eluded  the 
King  of  Sweden;  his  purpose  was  to  kidnap 
his  rival. 

Warsaw  was  not  fortified,  and  the  Polish 
troops  who  were  defending  it  were  not  reliable. 
There  were  those  in  the  town  from  whom 
Augustus  got  information,  and  if  Stanislas 
delayed  he  would  be  ruined.  He  sent  his 
family  to  Posnania,  under  the  guard  of  Polish 
troops  upon  which  he  could  absolutely  rely.  It 
was  in  this  disorder  that  he  feared  he  had  lost 
his  second  daughter,  aged  one ;  she  was  lost  by 
a  nurse,  and  they  discovered  her  in  a  manger, 


102     History  of  Charles  XII 

in  a  neighbouring-  village,  where  she  had  been 
left.  That  is  the  story  that  I  have  often 
heard  him  tell.  It  was  this  child  who,  after 
many  vicissitudes,  became  Queen  of  France. 
Several  gentlemen  took  different  roads.  The 
new  King  went  to  join  Charles  XII,  learning 
early  to  suffer  disgrace,  and  forced  to  leave  his 
capital  six  weeks  after  he  had  been  made  King. 

Augustus  entered  the  capital  as  a  victorious 
and  enraged  sovereign.  The  inhabitants, 
already  fleeced  by  the  King  of  Sweden,  were 
more  heavily  taxed  still  by  Augustus.  The 
Cardinal's  palace  and  all  the  houses  of  the 
confederate  lords  were  given  over  to  plunder. 
The  most  extraordinary  thing  about  this  tran 
sient  revolution  was  that  the  Papal  Legate, 
who  had  come  with  King  Augustus,  demanded 
in  the  name  of  his  master  that  the  Bishop  of 
Posnania  should  be  handed  over  to  him  as 
responsible  to  the  Court  of  Rome  for  having 
abetted  a  Prince  who  had  been  put  on  the 
throne  by  the  arms  of  a  Lutheran. 

The  Court  of  Rome,  which  had  always 
endeavoured  to  increase  its  temporal  power  by 
means  of  the  spiritual,  had  long  established  a 
kind  of  jurisdiction  in  Poland,  with  the  Papal 
Legate  at  the  head  of  it.  These  ministers 
never  missed  a  chance  of  extending  their 
power,  which  was  revered  by  the  majority,  but 
always  resisted  by  those  of  greater  discern 
ment.  They  had  claimed  the  right  of  judging 
all  ecclesiastical  cases,  and  had,  especially 


History  of  Charles  XII      103 

during  periods  of  disturbance,  usurped  many 
other  privileges  which  they  maintained  until 
about  1728,  when  they  were  deprived  of  them  : 
for  such  abuses  are  seldom  reformed  till  they 
have  become  intolerable. 

King  Augustus,  very  glad  to  be  able  to 
punish  the  Bishop  with  decency,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  do  something  acceptable  to  the 
Roman  Court,  though  he  would  have  opposed 
it  on  any  other  occasion,  delivered  up  the 
Polish  Prelate  into  the  hands  of  the  Legate. 
The  Bishop,  having  seen  his  palace  plundered, 
was  taken  by  the  soldiers  into  Saxony,  where 
he  died. 

Count  Horn  endured  the  continual  fire  of  the 
enemy  in  the  castle  where  he  was  enclosed  for 
some  time,  but  at  last  the  place  could  hold  out 
no  longer,  and  he  sounded  a  parley  and  gave 
himself  up  with  his  15,000  Swedes.  This  was 
the  first  advantage  which  King  Augustus 
gained  in  the  torrent  of  his  misfortune  against 
the  victorious  Swedes. 

Charles,  accompanied  by  King  Stanislas, 
went  to  meet  his  enemy  at  the  head  of  the 
best  part  of  his  troops.  The  Saxon  army  fled 
before  him;  the  towns  for  thirty  miles  round 
sent  him  their  keys,  and  every  day  brought 
word  of  some  advantage  gained.  Success  be 
came  too  familiar  to  Charles  :  he  said  it  was 
hunting  rather  than  fighting,  and  complained 
of  never  having  to  contest  a  victory. 

For  some  time  Augustus  entrusted  the  com- 


104     History  of  Charles  XII 

mand  of  his  army  to  Count  Schullemburg,  a 
very  able  general :  he  certainly  needed  all  his 
experience  at  the  head  of  a  discouraged  army. 
He  seemed  more  anxious  to  safeguard  his 
master's  troops  than  to  conquer  :  he  made  war 
by  means  of  stratagem,  while  the  two  kings 
acted  with  vigour.  He  stole  marches  on  them, 
seized  advantageous  posts,  and  sacrificed  some 
of  his  cavalry  to  give  time  to  his  foot  to  with 
draw  in  safety.  He  saved  his  troops  by 
splendid  retreats  before  an  enemy  with  whom 
one  could  only  gain  this  sort  of  glory. 

Scarcely  had  he  arrived  in  the  Palatinate  of 
Posnania  than  he  heard  that  the  two  Kings, 
whom  he  had  believed  to  be  fifty  leagues  off, 
had  covered  the  fifty  leagues  in  nine  days.  He 
had  not  more  than  8,000  foot  and  1,000  horse; 
he  had  to  hold  his  own  against  a  superior  force, 
the  King  of  Sweden's  reputation  and  the  fear 
which  so  many  defeats  had  naturally  inspired 
in  the  Saxons.  He  was  always  of  opinion,  in 
spite  of  the  German  generals,  that  the  foot 
might  hold  their  own  against  the  horse  in  an 
open  field,  even  without  the  benefit  of  a 
chevaux  de  frise:  and  he  ventured  to  try  the 
experiment  on  that  day  against  a  victorious 
horse  commanded  by  the  two  Kings  and  the 
most  experienced  of  the  Swedish  generals. 
He  took  up  such  an  advantageous  position  that 
he  could  not  be  surrounded ;  his  first  line  knelt 
on  the  ground,  and  were  armed  with  pikes  and 
muskets ;  the  soldiers  were  in  close  formation, 


History  of  Charles  XII     105 

and  presented  to  the  enemy's  horse  a  kind  of 
rampart  bristling  with  pikes  and  muskets ;  the 
second  line  bending  a  little  over  the  shoulders 
of  the  first,  shot  over  their  heads,  and  the 
third,  standing  upright,  fired  simultaneously 
from  behind  the  other  two.  The  Swedes  fell 
upon  the  Saxons  with  their  usual  impetuosity, 
but  they  awaited  them  without  flinching.  By 
this  means  the  Swedes  advanced  in  disorder, 
and  the  Saxons  warded  off  the  attack  by 
keeping  their  ranks. 

Schullemburg  drew  up  his  men  in  an  oblong 
battalion,  and,  though  wounded  in  five  places, 
he  retired  in  good  order  at  midnight  to  the 
little  town  of  Gurau,  three  leagues  from  the 
battle-field.  He  had  scarcely  time  to  breathe 
here  before  the  two  Kings  appeared  close 
behind  him. 

Beyond  Gurau,  towards  the  river  Oder,  lay 
a  thick  wood  through  which  the  Saxon  general 
led  his  exhausted  troops;  the  Swedes,  without 
being  nonplussed,  pursued  him  through  the 
thickets  of  the  woods,  finding  their  way  with 
out  difficulty  through  places  scarcely  passable  by 
foot-passengers.  Yet  the  Saxons  had  not 
crossed  the  wood  more  than  five  hours  before 
the  Swedish  cavalry  appeared. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  wood  runs  the  river 
Parts,  at  the  foot  of  a  village  named  Rutsen. 
Schullemburg  had  sent  forward  in  haste  to  get 
the  boats  ready,  and  had  got  his  troops  across 
the  river  :  they  were  already  lessened  by  half. 


io6     History  of  Charles  XII 

Charles  arrived  just  as  Schullemburg  had 
reached  the  other  side ;  never  had  a  conqueror 
pursued  his  enemy  so  rapidly. 

The  reputation  of  Schullemburg  depended  on 
his  escaping  from  the  King  of  Sweden,  while 
the  King  thought  his  glory  concerned  in  taking 
him  and  the  rest  of  his  army.  He  lost  no  time 
in  making  his  cavalry  swim  the  river.  Thus 
the  Saxons  found  themselves  enclosed  between 
the  river  Parts  and  the  great  river  Oder,  which 
rises  in  Silesia,  and  is  very  deep  and  rapid  at 
this  spot. 

The  ruin  of  Schullemburg  seemed  inevitable  : 
but  after  having  lost  few  soldiers  he  crossed 
the  Oder  during  the  night.  Thus  he  saved 
his  army,  and  Charles  could  not  help  saying, 
"  To-day  Schullemburg  has  conquered  us." 

It  was  this  same  Schullemburg  who  was 
afterwards  general  of  the  Venetians,  and  he  in 
whose  honour  the  Republic  erected  a  statue  in 
Corfu,  because  he  defended  this  rampart  of 
Italy  against  the  Turks.  None  but  republics 
confer  such  honours ;  kings  do  not  give 
rewards. 

But  what  thus  brought  glory  to  Schullem 
burg  was  of  little  use  to  King  Augustus.  He 
once  more  abandoned  Poland  to  his  enemies, 
withdrew  into  Saxony  and  hastily  prepared  the 
fortifications  of  Dresden,  for  he  already  feared, 
not  without  reason,  the  loss  of  the  capital  of 
his  hereditary  dominions. 

Charles  XII   found   Poland   submissive;    his 


History  of  Charles  XII      107 

generals,  following  his  example,  had  engaged 
in  Courland  with  several  small  bodies  of 
Russians,  who,  since  the  great  battle  of  Narva, 
had  only  shown  themselves  in  small  companies, 
and  who  in  this  part  only  made  war  like  the 
Tartar  vagabonds,  who  plunder  and  flee  and 
reappear  only  to  flee  again.  Wherever  the 
Swedes  were  they  thought  they  were  certain  to 
win,  though  they  numbered  only  twenty  against 
a  hundred. 

Under  these  fortunate  circumstances  Stanis 
las  prepared  for  his  coronation ;  fortune,  which 
had  had  him  elected  king  at  Warsaw  and  then 
had  driven  him  thence,  recalled  him  thither  to 
the  acclamation  of  a  crowd  of  nobles  which 
the  fortune  of  war  attached  to  him ;  a  Diet  was 
convoked  there ;  all  other  obstacles  were  re 
moved,  only  the  Court  of  Rome  was  disposed 
to  thwart  it. 

It  was  naturally  expected  that  this  Court 
would  declare  in  favour  of  King  Augustus,  who 
from  a  Protestant  had  become  a  Catholic  to 
gain  the  crown  in  opposition  to  Stanislas,  who 
was  placed  upon  the  throne  by  the  great  enemy 
of  the  Catholic  faith.  The  then  Pope,  Clement 
XI,  sent  dispatches  to  all  the  prelates  of 
Poland,  and  especially  to  the  Cardinal-Primate, 
threatening  them  with  excommunication  if  they 
presumed  to  assist  at  the  consecration  of 
vStanislas  or  take  part  in  any  plot  against  King 
Augustus. 

If    these    dispatches    were    delivered    to    the 


io8     History  of  Charles  XII 

bishops  who  were  at  Warsaw,  it  was  to  be  feared 
that,  while  some  would  obey  them  through 
weakness,  the  majority  would  seize  the  op 
portunity  to  become  more  exacting  in  propor 
tion  as  they  were  necessary.  All  possible  pre 
cautions  were  therefore  taken  to  prevent  the 
letters  of  the  Pope  from  being  received  at 
Warsaw.  A  Franciscan  got  possession  of  them 
secretly,  undertaking  to  deliver  them  into  the 
bishops'  own  hands  :  he  first  gave  one  to  the 
suffragan  of  Chelm.  This  prelate,  who  was  a 
great  partisan  of  King  Stanislas,  gave  it  to 
his  Majesty  unopened.  The  King  sent  for  the 
monk,  and  asked  how  he  dare  take  charge  of 
such  a  document.  The  Franciscan  answered 
that  he  did  it  by  order  of  his  general.  Stanislas 
told  him  to  in  future  take  his  orders  from  his 
King  rather  than  from  his  Superior,  and 
banished  him  immediately  from  the  town. 

The  same  day  a  placard  was  published  by 
the  King  of  Sweden,  by  which  all  ecclesiastics, 
secular  and  regular,  were  forbidden  to  take 
part  in  politics  under  the  severest  penalties. 

For  greater  security  he  had  guards  posted 
at  the  doors  of  all  the  prelates'  houses,  and  for 
bad  the  entry  of  any  stranger  into  the  town. 
He  exercised  these  small  severities  so  that 
Stanislas  should  not  fall  out  with  the  clergy 
on  his  accession;  he  said  that  he  refreshed 
himself  from  the  fatigue  of  campaigns  by 
checking  the  intrigues  of  the  Roman  Curia, 
and  that  he  must  fight  it  on  paper,  just 


History  of  Charles  XII      109 

as  he  attacked  other  sovereigns  with  actual 
weapons. 

The  Cardinal  was  asked  by  Charles  and 
Stanislas  to  perform  the  ceremony  of  corona 
tion.  But  it  did  not  seem  to  him  seemly  that 
he  should  quit  Dantzig  to  consecrate  a  king 
who  had  been  elected  against  his  wish ;  but, 
as  it  was  always  his  policy  to  act  a  part  in  all 
that  he  did,  he  wanted  to  get  a  legitimate 
excuse  for  his  refusal :  he  therefore  caused  the 
Pope's  dispatch  to  be  fixed,  in  the  night,  tp 
the  gate  of  his  own  house.  The  magistrate  of 
Dantzig  in  great  indignation  had  search  made 
for  the  culprits,  which  were  not  found;  the 
Primate  feigned  irritation  and  was  really  very 
pleased  :  he  had  an  excuse  for  not  consecrating 
the  new  King,  and  at  the  same  time  remained 
on  good  terms  with  Charles,  Augustus,  Stanis 
las  and  the  Pope. 

He  died  a  few  days  after,  leaving  his  country 
in  turmoil.  The  only  result  of  all  his  intrigues 
was  that  he  had  offended  simultaneously  three 
Kings,  Charles,  Augustus,  Stanislas,  the  Polish 
State  and  the  Pope,  who  had  commanded  him 
to  come  to  Rome  to  account  for  his  conduct. 
But,  as  even  politicians  sometimes  experience  re 
morse  in  their  last  moments,  he  wrote  to  King 
Augustus  on  his  death-bed  asking  his  pardon. 

The  coronation  was  solemnized  quietly  and 
magnificently  in  Warsaw  in  spite  of  the  Polish 
custom  of  crowning  kings  in  Cracow.  Stanis 
las  Leczinski  and  his  wife  Charlotte  were  con- 


i  io     History  of  Charles  XII 

secrated  King  and  Queen  of  Poland  at  the 
hands  of  the  Archbishop  of  Leopold  assisted 
by  several  other  bishops.  The  only  reward 
Charles  reaped  from  his  conquest  was  to  be 
present  at  the  ceremony  incognito. 

While  he  was  thus  providing  Poland  with  a 
king,  and  the  King  of  Denmark  dare  not 
harrass  him,  while  the  King  of  Prussia  was 
courting  his  friendship  and  Augustus  was 
withdrawing  to  his  hereditary  dominions,  the 
Czar  became  daily  more  formidable.  His  assist 
ance  of  Augustus  in  Poland  had  been  feeble, 
but  he  had  made  powerful  diversions  in  Ingria. 

As  for  him,  he  not  only  began  to  be  a  great 
soldier  himself,  but  also  to  teach  his  soldiers 
the  art  of  war :  discipline  was  established 
among  his  forces ;  he  had  good  engineers, 
experienced  artillery  and  many  good  officers ; 
he  had  also  learned  the  great  art  of  supporting 
his  armies.  Some  of  his  generals  had  learned 
both  to  fight  well  and,  if  necessary,  to  abstain 
from  fighting ;  more  than  all,  he  had  built  up 
a  fleet  capable  of  making  head  against  the 
Swedes  in  the  Baltic. 

Confident  in  all  these  advantages,  due  both 
to  his  genius  and  to  the  absence  of  the  King 
of  Sweden,  he  took  Narva  by  assault  after  a 
regular  siege  and  a  blockade  by  land  and  sea. 
When  the  soldiers  had  taken  the  town  they 
plundered  it,  and  gave  themselves  to  horrible 
barbarities  :  the  Czar  hastened  from  one  place 
to  another  to  stop  the  disorder  and  massacre. 


History  of  Charles  XII      in 

He  rescued  by  force  from  the  hands  of  the 
soldiers  women  whose  throats  they  were  going 
to  cut  after  having-  outraged  them ;  he  was 
obliged  to  kill  with  his  own  hands  some 
Russians  who  would  not  listen  to  his  com 
mands.  In  the  town  hall  at  Narva  they  still 
show  the  table  where  he  laid  his  sword,  as  he 
said  to  the  citizens  who  flocked  after  him, 
"  This  sword  is  not  wet  with  the  blood  of  the 
citizens  I  have  slain,  but  with  that  of  the  Rus 
sians  whom  I  have  killed  to  save  your  lives." 
Had  the  Czar  always  shown  such  humanity 
he  would  have  been  the  greatest  of  heroes. 
His  ambition  went  beyond  the  destruction  of 
tcwns.  In  the  midst  of  his  new  conquests  he 
was  laying  the  foundations  of  a  city  not  far 
from  Narva.  This  was  the  city  of  Peters 
burg,  which  was  henceforth  his  seat  and  the 
centre  of  his  trade.  It  is  between  Finland  and 
Ingria,  in  a  marshy  island,  around  which  the 
Neva  flows  in  several  branches  before  it  falls 
into  the  Gulf  of  Finland.  He  himself  made  the 
plan  of  the  town,  of  the  fortress,  the  port,  the 
quays,  which  adorn  it,  and  the  fortifications 
defending  its  entry.  This  desert,  uncultivated 
island,  which  is  nothing  but  a  mud  heap 
during  the  short  summer  of  that  climate,  and 
a  pool  of  ice  in  winter,  unapproachable  by 
land  except  across  wild  forests  and  deep 
morasses,  and  till  then  the  habitation 
of  bears  and  wolves,  was,  in  1703,  filled 
with  more  than  300,000  men  whom  the 


ii2     History  of  Charles  XII 

Czar  had  called  together  from  the  farthest 
limits  of  his  dominions.  The  peasants  of  the 
kingdom  of  Astrakan  and  those  who  live  on 
the  frontiers  of  China  were  transported  to 
Petersburg.  Before  he  could  lay  the  founda 
tions  of  a  town  he  was  obliged  to  pierce 
forests,  make  roads,  drain  marshes  and  raise 
banks.  Nature  was  subjugated  in  every  direc 
tion.  But  the  Czar  was  bent  on  peopling  a 
country  which  did  not  seem  meant  for  man's 
habitation ;  he  was  not  to  be  diverted  from  his 
resolve  either  by  the  floods,  which  ruined  his 
works,  or  by  the  barrenness  of  the  soil,  or  by 
the  ignorance  of  the  workmen,  or  by  the 
mortality  which  swept  away  200,000  men  at 
the  very  beginning.  The  town  was  founded  in 
spite  of  the  obstacles  which  existed  in  nature 
herself,  in  the  genius  of  the  people,  and  an 
unfortunate  war.  Already  in  1705  Petersburg 
was  a  considerable  town,  and  its  port  was  full 
of  vessels.  The  Emperor  attracted  strangers 
in  large  numbers  by  the  rewards  which  he  gave 
them,  giving  some  lands,  others  houses,  and 
encouraging  all  the  arts  which  might  civilize 
life  in  that  cruel  climate.  Above  all,  he  made 
it  inaccessible  to  the  enemy.  The  Swedish 
generals,  who  frequently  beat  his  troops  in 
every  other  district,  were  not  able  to  do  the 
least  harm  to  this  increasing  colony.  It  was 
at  peace  in  the  midst  of  the  war  which  sur 
rounded  it. 

The  Czar,  by  thus  creating  new  dominions 


History  of  Charles  XII     113 

for  himself,  still  held  out  a  helping  hand  to 
King  Augustus,  who  was  losing  his.  He  per 
suaded  him  by  the  instrumentality  of  General 
Patkul,  who  had  lately  joined  the  Russian  side, 
and  was  then  the  Czar's  ambassador  in  Saxony, 
to  come  to  Grodno  to  confer  with  him  once 
more  on  the  unhappy  state  of  affairs. 

King  Augustus  came  thither  with  some 
troops,  attended  by  General  Schullemburg, 
whose  passage  across  the  Oder  had  got  him  a 
reputation  in  the  north,  and  in  whom  he  placed 
his  great  hope.  The  Czar  arrived  followed  by 
100,000  men.  The  two  monarchs  formed  new 
plans  of  war.  As  King  Augustus  was  de 
throned  he  was  no  longer  afraid  of  exasperat 
ing  the  Poles  by  delivering  their  country  to 
the  Russian  troops.  It  was  decided  that  the 
Czar's  army  should  be  divided  into  several 
bodies  to  oppose  every  action  of  the  King  of 
Sweden.  During  this  interview  King  Augustus 
instituted  the  order  of  the  White  Eagle,  a  feeble 
resource  to  bring  over  to  his  side  certain 
Polish  lords  who  wanted  real  advantages  rather 
than  an  empty  honour,  which  becomes  ridicul 
ous  when  derived  from  a  prince  who  is  king 
only  in  name.  The  conference  of  the  two 
Kings  ended  in  a  strange  manner.  The  Czar 
departed  suddenly,  leaving  his  troops  to  his 
ally,  in  order  to  extinguish  a  rebellion  with 
which  he  was  threatened  in  Astrakan.  He  had 
scarcely  started  when  King  Augustus  ordered 
the  arrest  of  Patkul  at  Dresden. 

I 


114     History  of  Charles  XII 

All  Europe  was  amazed  that,  in  opposition  to 
the  law  of  nations,  and  apparently  to  his  own 
interest,  he  should  venture  to  imprison  the 
ambassador  of  the  only  prince  who  afforded 
him  protection.  The  secret  history  of  the 
affair  was  this  :  Patkul,  proscribed  in  Sweden 
for  having  maintained  the  privileges  of  his 
country,  Livonia,  had  become  general  to 
Augustus  :  but  his  high  spirit  not  according 
with  the  proud  disposition  of  General  Fleming, 
the  King's  favourite,  and  more  imperious  than 
himself,  he  had  passed  into  the  Czar's  service, 
and  was  then  his  general  and  ambassador  to 
Augustus.  He  was  a  man  of  great  discern 
ment,  and  had  found  out  that  the  proposal  of 
Fleming  and  the  Chancellor  of  Saxony  was  to 
offer  Charles  peace  on  his  own  terms.  He  at 
once  formed  a  plan  to  prevent  this  and  to  bring 
about  some  arrangement  between  the  Czar 
and  Sweden.  The  Chancellor  got  wind  of  his 
project,  and  obtained  leave  to  seize  him.  King 
Augustus  told  the  Czar  that  Patkul  was  a 
wretch  and  would  betray  them  both.  His  only 
fault  was  that  he  served  his  master  too  well : 
but  an  ill-timed  piece  of  service  is  often 
punished  as  a  treason. 

In  the  meantime,  the  100,000  Russians,  on 
one  side,  divided  into  several  small  bodies,  burnt 
and  ravaged  the  estates  of  Stanislas'  adher 
ents  :  while  Schullemburg,  on  the  other,  was 
advancing  with  fresh  troops.  But  the  fortune 
of  the  Swedes  dispersed  these  two  armies  in 
less  than  two  months.  Charles  XII  and 


History  of  Charles  XII      115 

Stanislas  attacked  the  separate  corps  of  the 
Russians  one  after  another,  but  so  swiftly  that 
one  Russian  general  was  beaten  before  he  had 
heard  of  the  defeat  of  his  colleague.  No 
obstacle  could  check  the  conqueror's  advance. 
If  he  found  a  river  in  the  way  he  and  his 
Swedes  swam  across  it. 

One  party  of  the  Swedes  took  the  baggage 
of  Augustus  in  which  were  400,000  crowns  of 
silver  coin;  Stanislas  seized  800,000  ducats 
belonging  to  Prince  Menzikoff,  the  Russian 
general.  Charles,  leading  his  cavalry,  would 
often  march  thirty  leagues  in  twenty-four 
hours,  every  soldier  leading  another  mount  to 
use  when  his  own  should  be  spent.  The 
Russians,  panic-stricken  and  reduced  to  a 
small  band,  fled  in  confusion  beyond  the 
Borysthenes. 

While  Charles  was  thus  driving  the  Russians 
into  the  heart  of  Lithuania,  Schullemburg  at 
last  repassed  the  Oder  and  came  at  the  head 
of  20,000  men  to  offer  battle  to  the  great 
Marshal  Renschild,  who  was  considered 
Charles's  best  general,  and  was  called  the 
Parmenio  of  the  North.  These  two  famous 
generals,  who  seemed  to  share  the  fate  of  their 
respective  masters,  met  near  Punits,  at  a  place 
called  Frauenstadt,  a  territory  which  had 
already  proved  fatal  to  the  troops  of  Augustus. 
Renschild  had  only  thirteen  battalions  and 
twenty-two  squadrons,  which  made  a  total  of 
about  10,000  men,  and  Schullemburg  had  twice 
that  number. 


n6     History  of  Charles  XII 

It  must  be  remembered,  too,  that  he  had 
in  his  army  between  6,000  and  7,000  Russians, 
who  had  been  under  discipline  a  long-  time,  and 
were  as  reliable  as  veterans.  This  battle  of 
Frauenstadt  was  fought  on  i2th  February, 
1706:  but  the  same  General  Schullemburg, 
who  with  4,000  men  had  to  a  certain  extent 
harassed  the  King  of  Sweden,  was  completely 
defeated  by  General  Renschild.  The  battle  did 
not  last  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  in  a  moment 
the  Saxons  wavered,  and  the  Russians  threw 
down  their  arms  on  the  first  appearance  of  the 
Swedes.  The  panic  was  so  sudden  and  the 
confusion  so  great  that  the  conquerors  found 
on  the  field  7,000  muskets  ready  loaded,  which 
they  had  thrown  away  without  firing.  There 
never  was  a  rout  more  sudden,  more  complete 
or  more  disgraceful :  and  yet  all  the  Saxon 
and  Swedish  officers  acknowledged  that  no 
general  had  ever  arranged  his  men  better;  it 
was  that  day  that  they  realized  how  little 
human  foresight  can  pre-arrange  events. 

Among  the  prisoners  there  was  a  whole 
regiment  of  French.  These  poor  wretches  had 
been  taken  by  the  Saxon  troops  in  1704  at  the 
famous  battle  of  Hochstet,  which  was  so  fatal 
to  the  greatness  of  Louis  XIV.  They  had  since 
enlisted  under  King  Augustus,  who  had  formed 
them  into  a  regiment  of  dragoons,  and  put 
them  under  the  command  of  a  Frenchman 
called  Joyeuse.  The  colonel  was  killed  at  the 
first  and  only  charge  of  the  Swedes,  and  the 


History  of  Charles  XII      117 

whole  regiment  became  prisoners  of  war.  From 
that  day  these  Frenchmen  petitioned  to  be 
taken  into  the  service  of  the  King  of  Sweden ; 
they  were  received  into  that  service  by  a 
singular  fate,  which  preserved  them  for  a 
further  change  of  their  conqueror  to  their 
master. 

As  to  the  Russians  they  begged  for  their  life 
on  their  knees,  but  they  were  inhumanly  mas 
sacred  in  cold  blood,  six  hours  after  the  battle, 
to  punish  them  for  the  outrages  of  the  com 
patriots,  and  to  get  rid  of  prisoners  which  the 
conquerors  did  not  know  what  to  do  with. 

Augustus  was  now  absolutely  without  re 
sources.  He  had  nothing  left  but  Cracow, 
where  he  was  shut  up  with  two  regiments  of 
Russians,  two  of  Saxons  and  some  troops  of 
the  regal  army,  by  whom  he  was  afraid  of 
being  handed  over  to  the  conqueror;  but  his 
misfortune  was  at  its  height  when  he  heard 
that  Charles  had  at  last  entered  Saxony,  on 
the  ist  September,  1706. 

He  had  crossed  Silesia  without  deigning  to 
even  warn  the  Court  of  Vienna.  Germany  was 
in  consternation  :  the  Diet  of  Ratisbon,  which 
represents  the  Empire,  and  the  resolutions  of 
which  are  often  as  ineffectual  as  they  are 
solemn,  declared  the  King  of  Sweden  an  enemy 
to  the  Empire  if  he  crossed  the  Oder  with  his 
army ;  this  very  resolution  was  a  further  in 
ducement  to  him  to  march  into  Germany. 

Upon    his    approach    the    villages    were    de- 


u8     History  of  Charles  XII 

serted  and  the  inhabitants  fled  in  all  directions. 
Charles  acted  as  he  had  at  Copenhagen  :  he 
had  proclamations  made  everywhere  that  he 
only  wanted  to  procure  peace,  and  that  all 
those  who  returned  to  their  houses  and  paid  the 
contributions  that  he  would  demand  should  be 
treated  as  his  own  subjects,  while  the  rest 
should  be  pursued  with  no  quarter.  This  de 
claration  from  a  prince  who  had  never  been 
known  to  break  his  word  brought  back  in 
large  numbers  all  those  of  the  inhabitants  who 
had  been  dispersed  by  fear.  He  encamped  at 
Altranstadt,  near  the  plains  of  Lutzen,  the 
field  of  battle  famous  for  the  victory  and  death 
of  Gustavus  Adolphus.  He  went  to  see  the 
place  where  this  great  man  fell,  and  when  he 
reached  the  spot  he  said,  "  I  have  endeavoured 
to  live  like  him ;  perhaps  God  may  one  day 
grant  me  a  death  as  glorious." 

From  this  camp  he  commanded  the  estates 
of  Saxony  to  meet,  and  to  send  him  without 
delay  the  register  of  Finance  of  the  Electorate. 
As  soon  as  he  had  them  in  his  power,  and  had 
information  of  exactly  what  Saxony  could 
supply,  he  levied  a  tax  on  it  of  625,000  rix- 
dollars  a  month. 

Besides  this  contribution  the  Saxons  were 
obliged  to  supply  every  Swedish  soldier  with 
two  pounds  of  meat,  two  pounds  of  bread, 
two  pots  of  beer  and  fourpence  a  day,  together 
with  forage  for  his  horse.  When  the  contri 
butions  had  been  thus  fixed  the  King  arranged 


History  of  Charles  XII      119 

a  new  method  of  protecting  the  Saxons  from 
the  insults  of  his  soldiers.  He  ordered  that  in 
all  the  towns  where  his  soldiers  were  quartered 
every  housekeeper  with  whom  the  soldiers  were 
lodged  should  give  certificates  of  their  be 
haviour  each  month,  without  which  the  soldier 
could  not  draw  his  pay;  further,  inspectors 
went  round  once  a  fortnight  to  inquire  if  the 
Swedes  had  done  any  damage,  and  house 
keepers  were  carefully  indemnified  and  culprits 
punished. 

The  severe  discipline  under  which  Charles's 
troops  lived  is  well  known ;  they  did  not  pillage 
towns  taken  by  assault  without  permission ; 
they  pillaged  in  an  orderly  way,  and  desisted 
at  the  first  signal.  The  Swedes  boast  to  this 
day  of  the  discipline  they  kept  in  Saxony  :  yet 
the  Saxons  complain  that  the  most  terrible 
outrages  were  committed  among  them.  These 
contradictory  statements  would  be  irreconcil 
able  if  we  did  not  remember  that  men  look 
at  the  same  thing  from  different  points  of 
view. 

It  would  have  been  very  strange  had  not  the 
conquerors  sometimes  abused  their  privileges, 
and  had  not  the  conquered  regarded  the  small 
est  damage  as  the  most  terrible  injury.  One 
day  as  the  King  was  riding  near  Leipsig  a 
Saxon  peasant  threw  himself  at  his  feet  to 
ask  justice  against  a  grenadier,  who  had  just 
gone  off  with  what  he  had  intended  for  his 
family  dinner.  The  King  had  the  soldier  called. 


120     History  of  Charles  XII 

"  Is  it  true,"  he  asked  sternly,  "  that  you  have 
robbed  this  man?"  "Sire,"  answered  the 
soldier,  "  I  have  not  done  him  so  much  harm 
as  your  Majesty  has  done  his  master,  for  you 
have  stolen  a  kingdom  from  him,  while  I  have 
only  taken  a  turkey  from  this  rustic."  The 
King-  gave  the  peasant  ten  ducats,  and  pardoned 
the  soldier  for  the  boldness  of  the  repartee,  but 
he  added,  "  Remember,  friend,  that  1  have 
taken  a  kingdom  from  King  Augustus,  but  I 
have  taken  nothing  for  myself." 

The  great  Leipsig  fair  was  held  as  usual, 
tradesmen  attended  it  in  perfect  security ;  not 
one  Swedish  soldier  was  to  be  seen  in  the  fair ; 
it  might  have  been  said  that  the  only  object  of 
the  Swedish  army  in  Saxony  was  to  keep  the 
peace  :  the  King  ruled  throughout  the  Elector 
ate  with  as  absolute  a  power  and  as  deep  a 
tranquillity  as  in  Stockholm. 

King  Augustus,  a  wanderer  in  Poland,  and 
deprived  both  of  his  kingdom  and  his  elector 
ate,  at  last  wrote  a  letter  with  his  own  hand 
to  Charles  XII  to  ask  for  a  peace. 

He  commissioned  Baron  Imhof,  accompanied 
by  M.  Finsten  of  the  Privy  Council,  secretly  to 
deliver  this  letter;  he  gave  them  full  powers 
and  carte  blanche,  directing  them  to  try  to 
obtain  for  him  reasonable  and  Christian  con 
ditions.  He  was  obliged  to  conceal  his  over 
tures  for  peace  and  to  refrain  from  having 
recourse  to  the  mediation  of  any  prince,  for 
being  then  in  Poland,  at  the  mercy  of  the 


History  of  Charles  XII     121 

Russians,  he  had  reason  to  fear  that  the 
dangerous  ally  whom  he  had  abandoned  would 
take  vengeance  on  him  for  his  submission  to 
the  conqueror.  His  two  plenipotentiaries  came 
by  night  to  Charles's  camp  and  had  a  private 
audience.  The  King  read  the  letter,  and  said, 
"  Gentlemen,  you  shall  have  your  answer  in  a 
moment."  Then  he  went  into  his  office  and 
wrote  as  follows — 

"  I  consent  to  grant  peace  on  the  following 
conditions,  in  which  it  must  not  be  expected 
that  I  will  make  the  least  alteration  : — 

"  i.  That  King  Augustus  renounce  for  ever 
the  crown  of  Poland,  that  he  acknowledge 
Stanislas  as  lawful  king;  and  that  he  promise 
never  to  recover  the  throne,  even  after  the 
death  of  Stanislas. 

"  2.  That  he  renounce  all  other  treaties,  and 
especially  those  he  has  made  with  Russia. 

"  3.  That  he  send  back  with  honour  into  my 
camp  the  Princess  Sobieski,  and  any  other 
prisoners  he  may  have  taken. 

"  4.  That  he  deliver  into  my  hands  all  the 
deserters  who  have  taken  service  with  him, 
particularly  Jean  Patkul;  and  that  proceedings 
be  stopped  against  all  such  as  have  passed 
from  his  service  to  mine." 

He  gave  this  paper  to  Count  Piper,  bidding 
him  negotiate  the  rest  with  King  Augustus's 
plenipotentiaries.  They  were  overwhelmed  by 
the  severity  of  the  terms,  and  tried  with  the 
small  skill  which  is  possible  to  the  powerless, 


122     History  of  Charles  XII 

to  lessen  the  rigour  of  the  King  of  Sweden. 
They  had  several  conferences  with  Count  Piper, 
the  only  answer  he  would  give  to  all  their 
suggestions  was,  "  Such  is  the  will  of  the 
King  my  master,  and  he  never  changes  his 
mind." 

While  this  peace  was  being  negotiated 
secretly  in  Saxony,  chance  seemed  to  give  King 
Augustus  the  opportunity  of  gaining  more 
honourable  terms,  and  of  treating  with  his 
conqueror  on  a  more  equal  footing. 

Prince  Menzikoff,  commander-in-chief  of  the 
Russian  army,  went  to  join  him  in  Poland  with 
30,000  men,  at  a  time  when  he  not  only  did 
not  expect  their  assistance  but  even  feared  it. 
He  was  accompanied  by  Polish  and  Saxon 
troops,  6,000  in  all.  Surrounded  by  Prince 
Menzikoff's  army,  and  with  only  this  small 
body-guard,  he  was  in  terror  lest  they  should 
discover  his  negotiation ;  he  pictured  himself 
simultaneously  dethroned  by  his  enemy,  and 
in  danger  of  being  taken  prisoner  by  his  ally. 
In  this  critical  state  of  affairs  the  army  found 
itself  in  the  near  neighbourhood  of  one  of  the 
Swedish  generals,  called  Meyerfield,  who  was 
at  the  head  of  6,000  troops  at  Calish,  near  the 
Palatinate  of  Posnania.  Prince  Menzikoff 
pressed  the  King  to  give  battle.  The  King, 
in  this  most  difficult  position,  delayed  under 
various  pretexts,  for  though  the  enemy  had 
only  one  third  of  his  numbers,  there  were 
4,000  Swedes  in  the  army  of  Meyerfield,  and 
that  was  enough  to  make  the  result  doubtful. 


History  of  Charles  XII      123 

On  the  other  hand,  to  fall  upon  the  Swedes 
during  the  negotiations  and  to  lose  the  day, 
would  mean  irretrievable  ruin.  He  therefore 
resolved  to  send  a  reliable  messenger  to  the 
enemy's  general  to  let  him  know  the  secret 
of  the  peace  and  to  warn  him  to  retreat.  But 
this  advice  had  a  very  different  effect  from 
what  had  been  expected.  General  Meyerfield 
believed  that  it  was  a  snare  to  intimidate  him, 
and  on  that  supposition  alone  he  dared  to  risk 
a  battle. 

That  day  the  Russians  for  the  first  time  con 
quered  the  Swedes  in  a  pitched  battle.  This 
victory,  which  King  Augustus  had  gained  in 
spite  of  himself,  was  complete ;  in  the  midst 
of  his  ill-fortune  he  entered  in  triumph  into 
Warsaw,  formerly  his  capital,  but  now  a  dis 
mantled  and  ruined  town,  ready  to  receive  any 
conqueror  whatever,  and  to  acknowledge  the 
strongest  as  king.  He  was  tempted  to  seize 
this  moment  of  prosperity,  and  to  attack  the 
King  of  Sweden  in  Saxony  with  the  Russian 
army.  But  when  he  remembered  that  Charles 
was  at  the  head  of  a  Swedish  army,  which 
had  till  then  been  invincible;  that  the  Russians 
would  forsake  him  directly  they  had  informa 
tion  that  the  treaty  had  been  begun;  that 
Saxony,  his  hereditary  dominions,  already 
drained  of  men  and  money,  would  be  ravaged 
by  the  Russians  as  well  as  by  the  Swedes; 
that  the  Empire,  occupied  with  the  French 
war,  could  not  help  him;  and  that  he  would 
be  left  without  dominions,  friends,  or  money, 


124     History  of  Charles  XII 

he  considered  it  better  to  accept  the  King  of 
Sweden's  terms. 

These  terms  were  made  even  more  severe 
when  Charles  heard  that  King  Augustus  had 
attacked  his  troops  during  the  negotiations. 
His  rage  and  the  pleasure  of  still  further 
humbling  an  enemy  who  had  just  conquered  his 
troops,  made  him  more  inflexible  about  all  the 
articles  of  the  treaty.  Thus  the  victory  of 
King  Augustus  was  wholly  to  his  own  dis 
advantage,  a  circumstance  in  which  his  experi 
ence  was  unique. 

He  had  just  had  the  Te  Deum  sung  in 
Warsaw,  when  Fingsten,  one  of  his  pleni 
potentiaries,  arrived  from  Saxony,  with  the 
treaty  of  peace  which  deprived  him  of  his 
crown.  Augustus  signed  it  after  some  hesita 
tion,  and  then  started  for  Saxony,  in  the  vain 
hope  that  his  presence  might  soften  the  King 
of  Sweden,  and  that  his  enemy  might  recall  the 
former  bonds  between  their  houses,  and  their 
common  blood. 

The  two  Princes  first  met  at  Gutersdorf,  in 
Count  Piper's  quarters.  The  meeting  was 
unceremonious ;  Charles  was  in  jack-boots,  with 
a  piece  of  black  taffeta  tied  carelessly  round 
his  neck  instead  of  a  cravat;  his  coat  was  as 
usual  made  of  coarse  blue  cloth  with  brass 
buttons.  He  was  wearing  the  long  sword 
which  he  had  used  in  the  battle  of  Narva,  and 
often  leaned  upon  it. 

The  conversation  turned  entirely  upon  those 


History  of  Charles  XII     125 

great  boots.  Charles  told  Augustus  that  he 
had  not  had  them  off  for  six  years,  except  at 
bed-time.  These  details  were  the  only  subject 
discussed  by  two  kings,  whereof  one  had  taken 
the  crown  from  the  other. 

Augustus  adopted  during  the  whole  inter 
view  that  air  of  delight  and  satisfaction  which 
princes  and  great  men  accustomed  to  business 
know  how  to  assume  in  the  midst  of  the 
crudest  mortifications.  The  two  kings  dined 
together  several  times  afterwards.  Charles 
always  pretended  to  give  the  place  of  honour 
to  Augustus,  but  far  from  relaxing  his  terms, 
he  made  them  even  more  severe.  It  was  bad 
enough  for  a  sovereign  to  be  forced  to  hand 
over  a  general  and  a  public  minister,  it  was  a 
great  humiliation  to  be  forced  to  send  to  his 
successor,  Stanislas,  the  crown  jewels  and 
archives,  but  it  was  the  finishing  touch  to  this 
humiliation  to  be  forced  to  congratulate  on 
his  accession  him  who  had  taken  his  place  on 
the  throne.  Charles  insisted  on  a  letter  from 
Augustus  to  Stanislas :  the  King  showed  no 
haste  to  comply  with  this  demand ;  but  Charles 
had  made  up  his  mind,  and  it  had  to  be  written. 

Here  is  a  faithful  copy  of  the  original,  which 
King  Stanislas  still  keeps,  and  which  I  have 
lately  seen. 

"  SIR  AND  BROTHER, 

"  We  do  not  consider  it  was  necessary 
to  enter  upon  a  detailed  correspondence  with 


126     History  of  Charles  XII 

your  Majesty;  but  to  please  the  King  of 
Sweden,  and  that  it  may  not  be  said  that  we 
have  been  unwilling-  to  satisfy  him,  we  hereby 
congratulate  you  on  your  accession,  and  hope 
that  your  subjects  will  prove  more  faithful  to 
you  than  ours  have  been  to  us.  Every  one 
will  do  us  the  justice  to  believe  that  we  have 
only  been  paid  with  ingratitude  for  all  our 
benefits,  and  that  the  majority  of  our  subjects 
have  only  aimed  at  our  ruin.  We  hope  that 
you  will  not  be  exposed  to  like  misfortunes, 
and  commit  you  to  God's  keeping. 

;<  Your  brother  and  neighbour, 

"  AUGUSTUS,  King. 
"  Dresden:  April  8,  1707." 

Augustus  was  further  obliged  to  command 
all  the  magistrates  to  no  longer  style  him  King 
of  Poland,  and  to  efface  the  title  he  renounced 
from  the  liturgy.  He  was  less  concerned  about 
liberating  the  Sobieskis ;  on  coming  out  of 
prison  these  princes  refused  to  see  him.  But 
the  sacrifice  of  Patkul  was  a  great  hardship 
to  him  ;  on  the  one  hand,  the  Czar  was  clamour 
ing  for  him  to  be  sent  back  as  his  ambassador ; 
on  the  other,  the  King  of  Sweden  threatened 
terrible  penalties  if  he  were  not  handed  over. 
Patkul  was  then  imprisoned  in  the  castle  of 
Konigstein  in  Saxony.  Augustus  thought  he 
could  satisfy  Charles  and  his  own  honour  at 
the  same  time.  He  sent  his  guards  to  deliver 
up  the  wretched  prisoner  to  the  Swedish 


History  of  Charles  XII     127 

troops ;  but  sent,  in  advance,  a  secret  message 
to  the  Governor  of  Konigstein  to  let  him 
escape.  Patkul's  bad  luck  frustrated  the  care 
they  took  to  save  him.  The  governor,  know 
ing  him  to  be  very  rich,  wished  him  to  buy 
his  liberty.  The  prisoner,  still  relying  on  the 
law  of  nations,  and  informed  of  the  intentions 
of  King  Augustus,  refused  to  pay  for  what  he 
thought  he  could  obtain  for  nothing.  During 
the  interval,  the  guards  appointed  to  deliver 
him  to  the  Swedes  arrived,  and  handed  him 
over  at  once  to  the  four  Swedish  officers,  who 
took  him  straight  to  head-quarters  at  Altran- 
stadt,  where  he  stayed  three  months,  tied  to  a 
stake  by  a  heavy  iron  chain.  Then  he  was 
taken  to  Casimir. 

Charles  XII,  forgetting  that  he  was  the 
Czar's  ambassador,  and  only  remembering  that 
he  had  been  his  own  subject,  commanded  the 
court-martial  to  pass  sentence  upon  him  with 
the  greatest  rigour.  He  was  condemned  to  be 
broken  on  the  wheel  and  quartered.  A  chap 
lain  came  to  tell  him  he  must  die,  without  in 
forming  him  of  the  form  of  his  execution.  Then 
the  man  who  had  braved  death  in  so  many 
battles,  finding  himself  alone  with  a  priest, 
and  his  courage  no  longer  supported  by  the 
incitements  of  glory  or  passion,'  wept  bitterly. 

He  was  engaged  to  a  Saxon  lady,  named 
Madame  D'Einstedel,  who  had  birth,  merit, 
and  beauty,  and  whom  he  had  hoped  to  marry 
at  the  time  that  he  was  given  up  to  execution. 


128     History  of  Charles  XII 

He  asked  the  chaplain  to  visit  her  and  comfort 
her,  and  assure  her  that  he  died  full  of  the 
tenderest  affection  for  her.  When  he  was  led 
to  the  place  of  execution,  and  saw  the  wheels 
and  stakes  in  readiness  for  his  death,  he  fell 
into  convulsions  of  fear,  and  threw  himself 
into  the  arms  of  the  minister,  who  embraced 
him,  and  covering  him  with  his  cloak  wept 
over  him.  A  Swedish  officer  then  read  aloud 
a  paper  as  follows — 

'*  This  is  to  declare  that  the  express  order 
of  his  Majesty,  our  merciful  lord,  is,  that  this 
man,  who  is  a  traitor  to  his  country,  be  broken 
and  quartered  for  the  reparation  of  his  crimes, 
and  as  an  example  to  others.  Let  every  man 
beware  of  treason,  and  faithfully  serve  his 
King." 

At  the  words  "most  merciful  lord,"  Patkul 
cried  out,  "What  mercy!"  and  at  "traitor 
to  his  country,"  "  Alas,  I  have  served  it 
too  well."  He  received  sixteen  blows,  and 
endured  the  longest  and  most  dreadful  tortures 
imaginable.  So  perished  the  unfortunate  Jean 
Patkul,  ambassador  and  general  to  the  King 
of  Russia. 

Those  who  regarded  him  only  as  a  revolted 
subject  who  had  rebelled  against  his  King, 
thought  that  he  deserved  his  death,  but  those 
who  regarded  him  as  a  Livonian,  born  in  a 
province  with  privileges  to  defend,  and  who 
remembered  that  he  was  driven  from  Livonia 
just  for  supporting  these  rights,  called  him  the 


History  of  Charles  XII     129 

martyr  to  the  liberties  of  his  country.  All 
agreed  that  the  title  of  ambassador  to  the 
Czar  should  have  rendered  his  person  sacred. 
The  King  of  Sweden  alone,  trained  in  despotic 
principles,  believed  that  he  had  only  done  an 
act  of  justice,  while  all  Europe  condemned  his 
cruelty. 

His  quartered  members  were  exposed  on 
gibbets  till  1713,  when  Augustus,  having  re 
gained  his  throne,  ordered  these  testimonials 
of  the  straits  he  was  reduced  to  at  Altranstadt 
to  be  collected.  They  were  brought  to  him  in 
a  box  at  Warsaw,  in  the  presence  of  the  French 
ambassador.  The  King  of  Poland  showed  the 
box  to  him,  simply  remarking,  "  These  are 
the  members  of  Patkul,"  without  one  word  of 
blame  or  regret  for  his  memory,  so  that  none 
present  dare  refer  to  so  sad  and  terrible  a 
subject. 

About  this  time  Paikel,  a  Livonian  officer 
of  Saxon  troops,  taken  prisoner  in  the  field, 
was  condemned  at  Stockholm  by  a  decree  of 
the  Senate;  but  his  sentence  was  only  to  lose 
his  head.  This  difference  of  punishment  in  the 
same  cases  made  it  only  too  plain  that  Charles,  1 
in  putting  Patkul  to  so  cruel  a  death,  had 
thought  rather  of  vengeance  than  of  punish 
ment. 

However  that  may  be,  Paikel,  after  his  con 
demnation,  proposed  to  the  Senate  to  disclose 
to  the  King  in  exchange  for  a  pardon  the 
secret  of  the  manufacture  of  gold  ;  he  made  the 

K 


130     History  of  Charles  XII 

experiment  in  prison,  in  the  presence  of 
Colonel  Hamilton  and  the  magistrates  of  the 
town;  and  whether  he  had  really  discovered 
some  useful  art,  or  whether  he  had  learned 
the  art  of  cunning  deception,  as  seems  most 
probable,  certain  it  is  that  they  carried  the 
gold  which  was  found  at  the  bottom  of  the 
crucible  to  the  mint  at  Stockholm,  and  made 
such  a  circumstantial  report  to  the  Senate  that 
the  Queen,  Charles's  grandmother,  ordered  that 
the  execution  should  be  suspended  till  the  King 
had  been  informed  of  this  curious  fact,  and 
should  send  his  orders  from  Stockholm.  The 
King  answered  that  he  had  refused  to  pardon 
a  criminal  for  the  entreaties  of  his  friends,  and 
that  he  would  never  do  for  the  sake  of  profit 
what  he  could  not  do  for  friendship.  There 
was  something  heroic  in  this  inflexibility  on  the 
part  of  a  prince  who,  it  must  be  remembered, 
thought  the  secret  possible.  When  King 
Augustus  heard  of  the  incident  he  remarked 
that  he  was  not  surprised  that  the  King  of 
Sweden  was  so  indifferent  about  the  philo 
sopher's  stone,  as  he  had  found  it  in  Saxony. 

When  the  Czar  heard  of  the  strange  peace 
that  Augustus,  in  spite  of  their  treaties,  had 
concluded  at  Altranstadt,  and  that  Patkul,  his  " 
ambassador  and  plenipotentiary,  had  been 
handed  over  to  the  King  of  Sweden,  in  defiance 
of  international  law,  he  advertised  his  com 
plaints  in  all  the  Courts  of  Europe.  He  wrote 
to  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  to  the  Queen  of 


History  of  Charles  XII      131 

England,  and  to  the  States-General  of  the 
United  Provinces.  He  said  that  the  unfortu 
nate  necessity  to  which  Augustus  had  yielded 
were  merely  cowardice  and  treachery.  He 
called  upon  all  these  Powers  to  mediate  that 
his  ambassador  might  be  sent  back,  and  to 
resist  the  affront  which,  through  him,  was 
offered  to  all  crowned  heads ;  he  appealed  to 
their  honour  not  to  stoop  so  low  as  to 
guarantee  the  Peace  of  Altranstadt,  which 
Charles  was  urging  upon  them  by  threats. 
The  only  effect  of  these  letters  was  to  make 
the  power  of  the  King  of  Sweden  more  obvious. 
The  Emperor,  England  and  Holland,  were  then 
carrying  on  a  destructive  war  against  France ; 
they  thought  it  inexpedient  to  exasperate 
Charles  by  refusing  him  the  vain  form  of 
guaranteeing  a  treaty.  As  for  the  wretched 
Patkul,  not  one  Power  mediated  for  him, 
which  proves  both  the  danger  of  a  subject's 
reliance  on  a  prince,  and  also  the  great  prestige 
of  Charles. 

A  proposal  was  made  in  the  Czar's  Council 
to  retaliate  on  the  Swedish  officers  who  were 
prisoners  at  Moscow.  The  Czar  would  not 
consent  to  a  barbarity  which  would  have  had 
such  fatal  results ;  there  were  more  Russians 
prisoners  in  Sweden  than  Swedes  in  Russia. 

He  sought  for  a  more  useful  vengeance. 
The  great  army  of  his  enemy  lay  idle  in 
Saxony.  Levenhaupt,  general  to  the  King  of 
Sweden,  who  was  left  in  Poland  at  the  head 


132     History  of  Charles  XII 

of  about  20,000  men,  could  not  guard  the 
passes  in  a  country  which  was  both  unfortified 
and  full  of  factions.  Stanislas  was  at  the  camp 
of  Charles.  The  Russian  Emperor  seized  the 
chance,  and  entered  Poland  with  more  than 
60,000  men;  he  split  them  into  several  corps, 
and  marched  with  a  flying  camp  as  far  as 
Leopold,  which  was  not  garrisoned  by  the 
Swedes.  All  Polish  towns  are  at  the  mercy 
of  whoever  may  present  himself  at  their  gates 
at  the  head  of  an  army.  He  had  an  assembly 
called  together  at  Leopold,  like  the  one  which 
had  dethroned  Augustus  at  Warsaw. 

Poland  then  had  two  primates,  as  well  as 
two  kings,  the  one  nominated  by  Augustus, 
the  other  by  Stanislas.  The  primate  nominated 
by  Augustus  summoned  the  assembly  at  Leo 
pold,  and  got  together  there  all  those  men 
whom  the  Prince  had  abandoned  by  the  Peace 
of  Altranstadt,  and  also  those  who  had  been 
bribed  to  the  Czar's  side.  It  was  proposed  to 
elect  a  new  king.  So  that  Poland  was  very 
near  having  three  kings  at  one  time,  and  no 
one  could  say  which  was  the  right  one. 

During  the  conferences  of  Leopold,  the  Czar, 
whose  interests  were  closely  connected  with 
those  of  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  through 
their  mutual  fear  of  the  King  of  Sweden, 
secretly  obtained  from  him  a  number  of  Ger 
man  officers.  These  gradually  considerably 
strengthened  his  force,  by  the  discipline  and 
experience  they  brought  with  them. 


History  of  Charles  XII     133 

He  attached  them  to  his  service  by  great 
rewards ;  and  for  the  greater  encouragement 
of  his  own  troops  he  gave  his  portrait  set  in 
diamonds  to  all  the  generals  who  had  fought 
in  the  battle  of  Calish;  the  subaltern  officers 
had  gold  medals,  and  every  private  soldier 
had  a  silver  medal. 

These  monuments  of  the  victory  at  Calish 
were  all  struck  in  the  new  town  of  Petersburg, 
where  arts  and  sciences  flourished  in  propor 
tion  as  he  taught  his  troops  of  emulation  and 
glory.  The  confusion,  multiplicity  of  factions, 
and  frequent  ravages  in  Poland  hindered  the 
Diet  of  Leopold  from  coming  to  any  conclu 
sion.  The  Czar  transferred  it  to  Lubin.  But 
the  change  of  place  made  no  alteration  in  the 
disorder  and  uncertainty  which  every  one  felt. 
The  assembly  contented  themselves  with  own 
ing  neither  Augustus,  who  had  abdicated,  nor 
Stanislas,  who  had  been  elected  contrary  to 
their  wishes. 

But  they  lacked  both  the  unanimity  and  the 
resolution  to  name  another  king.  During 
these  futile  deliberations  the  party  of  the 
Princess  Sapieha,  Oginski's  party,  those  who 
secretly  supported  King  Augustus,  and  the  new 
subjects  of  Stanislas,  were  all  at  war  with  one 
another,  ravaging  each  other's  estates,  and 
completing  the  ruin  of  their  country. 

The  Swedish  troops,  commanded  by  Leven- 
haupt,  of  which  one  part  was  in  Livonia, 
another  in  Lithuania,  and  a  third  in  Poland, 


134     History  of  Charles  XII 

were  seeking  the  Russian  troops,  and  burn 
ing  the  property  of  Stanislas'  enemies.  The 
Russians  ruined  friends  as  well  as  enemies,  and 
nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  towns  in  ashes, 
and  vagrant  troops  of  Poles,  deprived  of  all 
their  possessions,  who  hated  their  two  kings, 
Charles  and  the  Czar,  equally. 

King  Stanislas  set  out  from  Altranstadt  on 
the  1 5th  of  July,  1707,  with  General  Renschild, 
sixteen  Swedish  regiments  and  much  money. 
His  object  was  to  appease  the  troubles  in 
Poland,  and  to  make  his  authority  owned  by 
peaceable  means.  He  was  acknowledged 
wherever  he  went;  the  discipline  of  his  troops, 
which  threw  into  stronger  contrast  the  cruelty 
of  the  Russians,  gained  all  hearts ;  his  extreme 
affability  brought  round  to  him,  in  proportion 
as  it  was  realized,  almost  all  factions,  and 
his  money  gained  him  the  majority  of  the  royal 
forces.  The  Czar,  fearing  that  he  would  lack 
supplies  in  a  country  ravaged  by  his  own 
troops,  withdrew  into  Lithuania,  where  he  had 
told  the  various  parts  of  the  army  to  meet, 
and  established  magazines.  This  retreat  left 
King  Stanislas  in  peaceable  possession  of 
all  Poland. 

The  only  one  who  then  troubled  him  in  his 
dominions  was  Count  Siniawski,  Grand  General 
by  nomination  of  Augustus.  He  was  extremely 
able  and  very  ambitious,  and,  heading  a  third 
party,  he  recognized  neither  Augustus  nor 
Stanislas.  He  had  used  all  his  influence  to 


History  of  Charles  XII     135 

get  himself  elected,  but  was  now  content  to 
lead  a  party,  as  he  could  not  be  king. 

The  crown  troops,  who  continued  under  his 
command,  had  hardly  any  other  pay  but  licence 
to  ravage  their  own  country  with  impunity. 
All  who  suffered  from  their  ravages  or  were 
afraid  of  them,  immediately  submitted  to 
Stanislas,  whose  power  was  daily  increased. 

The  King  of  Sweden  was  then  receiving 
in  his  camp  at  Altranstadt  ambassadors  from 
almost  all  the  princes  of  Christendom.  Some 
begged  him  to  retire  from  the  Imperial  do 
minions,  others  to  turn  his  arms  against  the 
Emperor.  It  was  reported  on  all  sides  that  he 
meant  to  join  France  in  crushing  the  House 
of  Austria. 

Amongst  these  ambassadors  was  the  famous 
John,  Duke  of  Maryborough,  who  was  sent  by 
Anne,  Queen  of  Great  Britain.  This  man,  who 
took  every  town  that  he  besieged,  and  gained 
every  battle  that  he  fought,  was  a  prominent 
courtier  at  St.  James,  the  leader  of  a  Parlia 
mentary  party,  and  the  most  able  foreign 
minister  of  his  time.  He  did  France  as  much 
damage  by  his  diplomatic  talent  as  by  his 
arms;  and  M.  Fagel,  Secretary  of  the  States- 
General,  has  been  heard  to  say  that,  on  more 
than  one  occasion,  the  States  having  resolved 
to  oppose  what  the  Duke  intended  to  lay  be 
fore  them,  the  Duke,  when  he  appeared,  though 
he  spoke  very  poor  French,  brought  them  all 
round  to  his  way  of  thinking. 


136     History  of  Charles  XII 

Together  with  Prince  Eugene,  his  fellow- 
victor,  and  the  Grand  Pensioner  of  Holland, 
Heinsius,  he  bore  the  whole  weight  of  the 
enterprises  of  the  allies  against  France.  He 
knew  that  Charles  was  angry  with  the  Emperor 
and  the  Empire,  that  he  was  being  secretly 
approached  by  the  French,  and  that  if  the  con 
queror  joined  Louis  XIV  the  allies  would  be 
overwhelmed. 

It  is  true  that  Charles  had  given  his  word 
to  take  no  part  whatever  in  the  war  between 
Louis  XIV  and  the  allies;  but  the  Duke  did 
not  believe  that  any  prince  would  be  so  great 
a  slave  to  his  word  as  not  to  sacrifice  it  to  his 
greatness  and  interest.  He  therefore  started 
for  the  Hague  in  order  to  sound  the  King  of 
Sweden. 

As  soon  as  he  arrived  at  Leipsig,  he  went 
secretly,  not  to  Count  Piper,  first  minister,  but 
to  Baron  Gortz,  who  was  beginning  to  share 
the  King's  confidence  with  Piper.  When  he 
was  presented  to  the  King  with  the  English 
minister  Robinson,  he  spoke  French,  saying 
that  he  would  be  happy  to  have  the  opportunity 
of  acquiring  under  his  direction  what  he  had 
yet  to  learn  of  the  art  of  war.  The  King  made 
no  polite  remark  in  answer  to  this  compli 
ment,  and  seemed  to  forget  that  he  was  being 
addressed  by  Marlborough.  The  conversation 
was  tedious  and  trivial,  Charles  using  Swedish, 
and  Robinson  acting  as  interpreter.  Marl- 
borough,  who  was  never  in  a  hurry  to  propose 


History  of  Charles  XII     137 

things,  and  who  had  learned  by  long-  experi 
ence  the  art  of  reading  men,  and  discovering 
the  connection  between  their  inmost  thoughts 
and  their  actions,  gestures  and  speech,  studied 
the  King  carefully.  When  he  spoke  on  war  in 
general  he  thought  he  remarked  in  his  Majesty 
a  natural  dislike  of  France,  and  he  saw,  too, 
that  he  was  talking  with  pleasure  of  the  con* 
quests  of  the  allies.  He  noticed  that  his 
eyes  kindled  when  he  mentioned  the  Czar,  in 
spite  of  the  restraint  shown  in  the  conversa 
tion ;  and  he  noticed  a  map  of  Russia  before 
him  on  the  table.  This  quite  convinced 
him  that  the  real  intention  of  the  King  of 
Sweden,  and  his  only  ambition,  was  to  de 
throne  the  Czar,  just  as  he  had  dethroned 
the  King  of  Poland.  He  understood  that  his 
object  in  remaining  in  Saxony  was  to  impose 
on  the  Emperor  of  Germany  certain  severe  con 
ditions.  But  he  knew  that  the  Emperor  would 
accept  them,  and  that  thus  matters  would  be 
satisfactorily  settled.  He  left  Charles  to 
follow  his  own  bent,  and,  satisfied  with  having 
fathomed  his  intentions,  he  did  not  make  any 
proposal  to  him. 

As  few  negotiations  are  concluded  without 
money,  and  as  ministers  have  been  known  to 
sell  the  hatred  or  friendship  of  their  masters, 
all  Europe  believed  that  the  Duke  of  Marl- 
borough  had  succeeded  with  the  King  of 
Sweden  by  means  of  the  gift  of  a  large  sum 
of  money  to  Count  Piper,  and  the  Count's  repu- 


138     History  of  Charles  XII 

tation  has  suffered  for  it  to  this  very  day. 
For  my  part  I  have  traced  this  report  to  its 
source,  and  I  have  it  on  authority  that  Piper 
received  a  small  present  from  the  Emperor, 
with  the  consent  of  the  King  his  master,  and 
nothing  from  the  Duke  of  Marlborough.  It 
is  certain  that  Charles  was  bent  on  dethron 
ing  the  Czar  of  Russia,  that  he  took  counsel 
of  no  one,  and  that  he  had  no  need  of  advice 
from  Count  Piper  to  wreak  his  long-meditated 
vengeance  on  Peter  Alexiowitz.  Lastly,  the 
minister's  reputation  is  absolutely  vindicated  by 
the  fact  that  Charles  paid  honour  to  his  memory 
long  after,  when,  hearing  of  his  death  in 
Russia,  he  had  his  body  taken  to  Stockholm, 
and  buried  with  great  pomp  and  magnificence 
at  his  own  expense. 

The  King,  who  had  as  yet  experienced  no 
ill-fortune,  nor  even  any  hindrance  to  success, 
thought  that  one  year  would  dethrone  the 
Czar,  and  that  then  he  could  retrace  his  steps 
as  the  arbiter  of  Europe;  but  his  aim  was 
first  to  humiliate  the  Emperor  of  Germany. 

Baron  Stralheim,  Swedish  ambassador  at 
Vienna,  had  quarrelled  at  table  with  Count 
Zobor,  the  Emperor's  chamberlain ;  the  latter, 
having  refused  to  drink  to  the  health  of 
Charles,  and  having  accused  him  of  treating 
his  master  too  badly,  Stralheim  had  given  him 
the  lie  with  a  box  on  the  ears,  and  had  dared, 
after  this  insult,  to  demand  reparation  at  the 
Imperial  Court. 


History  of  Charles  XII      139 

Fear  of  the  displeasure  of  the  King-  of 
Sweden  had  forced  the  Emperor  to  banish  the 
subject  whom  it  was  his  duty  to  avenge. 
Charles  was  not  satisfied,  but  insisted  that  the 
Count  of  Zobor  should  be  handed  over  to  him. 
The  Court  of  Vienna  had  to  swallow  its 
pride  and  hand  over  the  Count  to  the  King, 
who  sent  him  back,  after  having  kept  him 
prisoner  some  time  at  Stettin.  Contrary  to 
international  law  he  further  demanded  that 
1,500  wretched  Russians,  who  had  escaped 
his  arms  and  fled  to  the  Empire,  should  be 
given  up  to  him.  The  Court  of  Vienna  would 
have  had  to  consent  to  this  strange  demand, 
and  they  would  have  been  handed  over  to 
the  enemy,  had  not  the  Russian  ambassador 
at  Vienna  arranged  for  their  escape  by  different 
routes. 

The  third  and  last  of  his  demands  was  the 
most  exorbitant.  He  declared  himself  pro 
tector  of  the  Emperor's  Protestant  subjects  in 
Silesia,  a  province  of  the  House  of  Austria, 
and  not  of  the  Empire ;  he  wanted  the  Emperor 
to  grant  them  the  liberties  and  privileges  which 
had  been  gained  by  the  Treaty  of  Westphalia, 
but  nullified,  or  at  least  eluded,  by  the  Treaty 
of  Ryswick.  The  Emperor,  whose  great  aim 
was  to  get  rid  of  so  dangerous  a  neighbour, 
still  assented,  and  granted  him  all  that  he 
wanted.  The  Lutherans  obtained  more  than 
100  churches,  which  the  Catholics  were  obliged 
to  cede  by  this  treaty,  but  many  of  these  con- 


140     History  of  Charles  XII 

cessions,  secured  for  them  by  the  King  of 
Sweden's  fortune,  were  taken  from  them  as 
soon  as  he  could  no  longer  impose  laws. 

The  Emperor,  who  was  forced  to  make 
these  concessions,  and  who  submitted  to 
Charles's  wishes  in  everything,  was  Joseph,  the 
eldest  son  of  Leopold,  and  brother  of  Charles 
VI,  who  succeeded  him.  The  Pope's  nuncio, 
who  then  resided  in  the  court  of  Joseph, 
reproached  him  severely  for  ceding,  as  a 
Catholic,  the  interests  of  his  own  religion  to 
the  heretics.  "  It  is  very  lucky  for  you," 
answered  the  Emperor,  smiling,  "  that  the 
King  of  Sweden  did  not  propose  that  I  should 
turn  Protestant,  for  had  he  done  so  I  do  not 
know  what  I  might  have  done." 

Count  Wratislau,  his  ambassador  to  Charles 
XII,  brought  the  treaty  in  favour  of  the 
Silesians,  and  signed  by  his  master,  to  Leip- 
sig.  Charles  then  said  he  was  satisfied,  and 
the  firm  friend  of  the  Emperor.  But  he  was 
disgusted  that  Rome  had  opposed  him  to  the 
utmost  of  her  ability.  He  felt  the  greatest 
contempt  for  the  weakness  of  the  Court,  which 
being  at  present  the  irreconcilable  enemy  of 
half  Europe,  always  distrusts  the  other  half, 
and  only  maintains  its  credit  by  its  skilful 
diplomacy.  He  seemed  determined  on  ven 
geance.  He  told  Count  Wratislau  that  the 
Swedes  had  once  subjugated  Rome,  and  that 
they  had  not  degenerated  as  she  had  done. 

He  let  the  Pope  know  that  he  would  one  day 


History  of  Charles  XII     141 

demand  the  effects  which  Queen  Christina  had 
left  at  Rome.  It  is  impossible  to  say  how  far 
this  young  conqueror  would  have  carried  his 
resentment  and  his  arms,  had  fortune  seconded 
his  designs.  Nothing  then  seemed  an  impossi 
bility  to  him ;  he  even  sent  several  officers 
secretly  to  Asia,  and  as  far  as  Egypt,  to  take 
plans  of  the  towns  and  inform  him  of  the 
strength  of  those  countries.  Certainly,  if  any 
one  were  capable  of  overturning  the  empire  of 
the  Persians  and  Turks,  and  then  going  on  into 
Italy,  it  was  Charles  XII.  He  was  as  young 
as  Alexander,  as  great  a  soldier,  and  as  dar 
ing  ;  but  he  was  more  indefatigable,  stronger, 
and  more  temperate ;  then  the  Swedes,  too, 
were  perhaps  better  men  than  the  Macedonians. 
But  such  plans,  which  are  called  divine,  when 
they  succeed,  are  regarded  as  chimeras  when 
they  fail. 

At  last,  all  difficulties  having  been  over 
come,  and  all  his  plans  carried  out,  after 
having  humiliated  the  Emperor,  dictated  to  the 
Empire,  protected  the  Lutherans  in  the  midst 
of  Roman  Catholics,  dethroned  one  king  and 
crowned  another,  and  made  himself  the  terror 
of  all  princes,  he  prepared  to  start.  The 
luxuries  of  Saxony,  where  he  remained  idle  a 
whole  year,  had  made  no  alteration  in  his 
mode  of  life.  He  rode  out  thrice  a  day,  got 
up  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  dressed 
unaided,  never  drank  wine,  only  spent  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  at  table,  exercised  his  men  every 


142     History  of  Charles  XII 

day,  and  indulged  in  no  other  pleasure  than 
that  of  making-  Europe  tremble. 

The  Swedes  did  not  yet  know  what  was  to 
be  their  destination,  but  it  was  rumoured  in  the 
army  that  Charles  might  go  to  Moscow.  Some 
days  before  he  started  he  commanded  the  Grand 
Marshal  of  the  Household  to  write  out  for  him 
the  route  from  Leipsig,  then  he  paused,  and, 
that  the  Grand  Marshal  should  have  no  idea  of 
his  project,  he  added,  with  a  smile,  "  and  to 
all  the  capitals  of  Europe."  The  marshal 
brought  him  a  list  of  them  all,  at  the  head  of 
which  he  had  purposely  placed  "  Route  from 
Leipsig  to  Stockholm."  The  majority  of  the 
Swedes  longed  to  return  thither,  but  it  was 
far  from  the  King's  intention  to  take  them 
back  home.  "  Monsieur  le  Marechal,"  he  said, 
"I  see  whither  you  would  lead  me;  but  we 
shall  not  return  to  Stockholm  so  soon." 

The  army  was  already  on  the  march,  and 
passed  near  Dresden.  Charles  was  at  their 
head,  riding,  as  was  his  habit,  two  or  three 
hundred  paces  in  advance  of  his  guards.  Sud 
denly  they  lost  sight  of  him;  some  officers  ad 
vanced  at  full  gallop  to  see  what  had  become 
of  him,  but  they  could  not  find  him.  In  a 
minute  the  whole  army  took  the  alarm.  They 
halted ;  the  generals  assembled ;  they  were  in  a 
state  of  great  consternation  when  they  learned 
from  a  Saxon  peasant  what  had  become  of  him. 

As  he  was  passing  so  near  Dresden,  he  had 
taken  it  into  his  head  to  pay  a  visit  to  King 


History  of  Charles  XII     143 

Augustus;  he  rode  into  the  town,  followed  by 
three  or  four  generals.  Count  Fleming,  seeing 
them  pass,  had  only  time  to  run  and  let  his 
master  know.  He  suggested  to  Augustus  a 
suitable  reception  on  this  occasion,  but  Charles 
came  into  the  room  in  his  boots,  before  Augustus 
had  time  to  recover  from  his  surprise.  He  was 
then  ill,  and  in  a  nightshirt,  but  he  hastily 
dressed.  Charles  breakfasted  with  him  as  a 
traveller  taking  leave  of  a  friend,  then  he  ex 
pressed  a  wish  to  see  the  fortifications.  During 
the  short  time  that  they  were  going  round 
them,  a  Livonian,  exiled  from  Sweden,  who  was 
serving  in  the  Saxon  army,  thought  that  he 
could  not  have  a  better  chance  of  pardon.  He 
felt  sure  that  his  Majesty  would  not  refuse  so 
small  a  favour  to  a  prince  from  whom  he  had 
taken  a  crown,  and  in  whose  power  he  had 
placed  himself.  Augustus  readily  undertook  the 
office — he  was  a  short  distance  from  Charles, 
talking  to  General  Hord.  "  I  believe,"  he  said, 
smiling,  "  that  your  master  would  not  refuse 
me."  "  You  don't  know  him,"  answered  the 
General;  "he  would  rather  refuse  you  here 
than  anywhere  else."  This  did  not  prevent 
Augustus  from  asking  a  pardon  for  the  Livo 
nian  in  the  most  pressing  way.  Charles  re 
fused,  in  such  a  way  that  it  was  impossible  to 
ask  again.  After  having  spent  some  hours  on 
this  strange  visit,  he  embraced  Augustus  and 
departed. 

On    rejoining    his    army,    he    found    all    his 


144     History  of  Charles  XII 

generals  panic-stricken.  He  inquired  the 
reason ;  they  told  him  that  they  had  determined 
to  besiege  Dresden,  in  case  he  had  been  de 
tained  prisoner  there.  "Pshaw!"  said  the 
King;  "they  dare  not."  The  next  day  they 
got  news  that  Augustus  was  holding  a  Council 
extraordinary  at  Dresden.  "  You  see,"  re 
marked  Renschild,  "  they  are  deliberating  as 
to  what  they  ought  to  have  done  yesterday." 
Some  days  later,  Renschild,  in  an  interview 
with  the  King,  spoke  with  astonishment  of  the 
journey  to  Dresden.  "  I  had  confidence  in  my 
good  fortune,"  said  Charles;  "  but  at  one  mo 
ment  it  looked  critical.  Fleming  was  not  at  all 
anxious  that  I  should  leave  Dresden  so  soon." 


BOOK    IV 


BOOK    IV 

Charles  leaves  Saxony — Pursues  the  Czar — Advances 
into  Ukrania — His  losses  and  wounds,  and  the 
battle  of  Pultowa — The  consequences  of  the  battle 
—  Charles  forced  to  escape  into  Turkey  —  His 
reception  in  Bessarabia. 

AT  last  Charles  left  Saxony  in  September  1707, 
with  an  army  of  43,006  men,  formerly  steel- 
clad,  but  now  shining  resplendent  in  gold  and 
silver,  and  enriched  with  the  spoils  of  Poland 
and  Saxony.  Every  soldier  had  with  him  fifty 
crowns  ready  money ;  not  only,  too,  were  all 
the  regiments  complete,  but  there  were  several 
supernumeraries  to  each  company.  Besides 
this  army  Count  Levenhaupt,  one  of  his  best 
generals,  was  waiting  for  him  in  Poland  with 
20,000  men ;  he  had,  too,  another  army  of 
15,000  in  Finland,  and  recruits  were  on  their 
way  from  Sweden.  With  all  these  forces  it 
was  not  doubted  that  he  would  dethrone  the 
Czar. 

The  Emperor  was  then  in  Russia,  trying  to 
keep  up  the  spirits  of  a  party  which  King 
Augustus  seemed  to  have  deserted.  His 
troops,  divided  into  several  corps,  fled  in  all 
directions  on  the  first  report  of  the  approach 
of  the  King  of  Sweden.  He  had  advised  his 
generals  never  to  wait  for  the  arrival  of  the 


148     History  of  Charles  XII 

conqueror   with  a  superior  force,   and   he  was 
well  obeyed. 

The  King  of  Sweden,  in  the  midst  of  his 
march,  received  an  embassy  from  the  Turks. 
The  ambassador  was  received  in  Piper's  quar 
ters;  he  kept  up  his  master's  dignity  by  a 
certain  display  of  magnificence,  and  the  King, 
who  was  worse  lodged,  worse  served,  and 
more  plainly  clad  than  the  humblest  officer  in 
his  army,  would  often  say  that  Count  Piper's 
quarters  were  his  palace.  The  Turkish 
ambassador  presented  Charles  with  100  Swed 
ish  soldiers,  who  had  been  taken  by  the 
Calmouks  and  sold  in  Turkey,  redeemed  by 
the  Grand  Master,  and  sent  by  him  to  the  King 
as  the  most  agreeable  present  he  could  make 
him.  Not  that  the  proud  Ottoman  meant  to 
pay  homage  to  the  glory  of  Charles,  but  be 
cause  the  Sultan,  the  natural  enemy  of  the 
Emperors  of  Russia  and  Germany,  wished  to 
strengthen  himself  against  them  by  the  friend 
ship  of  the  King  of  Sweden  and  alliance  with 
Poland. 

The  ambassador  complimented  Stanislas  on 
his  accession ;  so  that  he  had  been  owned  as 
King,  in  a  short  time,  by  Germany,  France, 
England,  Spain  and  Turkey.  But  the  Pope 
deferred  acknowledging  him  till  time  had  con 
firmed  him  in  a  kingship  of  which  a  sudden 
fall  might  deprive  him. 

Scarcely  had  Charles  interviewed  the  ambas 
sador  of  the  Ottoman  Porte  than  he  went  in 


History  of  Charles  XII     149 

search  of  the  Russians.  The  Czar's  troops 
had  left  and  returned  to  Poland  more  than 
twenty  times  during  the  war;  as  the  country 
lay  open  on  all  sides,  without  strongholds  to 
cut  the  retreat  of  an  enemy,  the  Russians  were 
often  able  to  return  to  the  very  spot  where  they 
had  suffered  defeat,  and  could  even  penetrate 
as  far  into  the  country  as  the  conqueror. 
During  Charles's  stay  in  Saxony,  the  Czar  had 
advanced  to  Leopold,  on  the  southern  frontier 
of  Poland.  He  was  at  that  time  in  the  north, 
at  Grodno,  in  Lithuania,  about  100  leagues 
from  Leopold. 

Charles  left  Stanislas  in  Poland  with  about 
1,000  Swedes  and  his  new  subjects  to  help  him 
preserve  his  kingdom  against  his  enemies  at 
home  and  abroad ;  he  himself,  at  the  head  of 
his  horse,  marched  through  ice  and  snow  to 
Grodno,  in  January  1708.  He  had  already 
passed  the  Niemen,  within  two  leagues  of  the 
town,  before  the  Czar  knew  anything  of  his 
march.  Directly  the  news  came  that  the 
Swedes  were  upon  them,  the  Czar  left  the  town 
by  the  north  gate,  while  Charles  entered  by 
the  south.  The  King  had  only  six  hundred  of 
his  guards  with  him,  the  rest  being  unable  to 
follow  him.  The  Czar,  imagining  that  a  whole 
army  was  entering  Crodno,  fled  with  2,000 
men ;  but  he  heard  that  very  day  from  a  Polish 
deserter  that  he  had  abandoned  the  place  to 
not  more  than  six  hundred  men,  the  body  of 
the  enemy's  army  being  still  more  than  five 


150     History  of  Charles  XII 

leagues  away.  He  did  not  lose  time,  but  sent 
a  detachment  of  15,000  cavalry  in  the  evening 
to  surprise  the  King  of  Sweden  in  the  town. 
The  15,000  Russians,  helped  by  the  darkness 
of  the  night,  advanced  as  far  as  the  first 
Swedish  guard  without  recognition.  This 
guard  consisted  of  thirty  men,  and  they  alone 
supported  the  charge  of  the  15,000  for  seven 
minutes.  The  King,  who  was  at  the  other  end 
of  the  town,  came  up  presently  with  his  six 
hundred  guards,  and  the  Russians  fled  in 
haste.  In  a  short  time  his  army  joined  him, 
and  he  pursued  the  enemy.  All  the  Russians 
dispersed  throughout  Lithuania,  retiring 
hastily  into  the  Palatinate  of  Minski,  where 
they  had  a  rendezvous.  The  Swedes,  whom 
the  King  also  divided  into  several  corps,  con 
tinued  to  pursue  them  for  about  thirty  leagues 
of  their  way.  The  fleers  and  the  pursuers 
made  forced  marches  almost  every  day,  though 
it  was  mid-winter. 

The  soldiers  of  Charles  and  the  Czar  had 
long  become  indifferent  to  the  seasons  :  it  was 
only  the  terror  inspired  by  the  name  of  Charles 
which  made  the  difference  between  the  Rus 
sians  and  the  Swedes. 

From  Grodno  eastward  to  the  Borysthenes 
there  is  nothing  but  marshes,  deserts,  moun 
tains  and  immense  forests.  Even  where  the 
ground  is  cultivated  no  provision  was  to  be 
found ;  the  country  folk  hid  all  their  grain  and 
Pther  dry  goods  underground.  In  order  to  find 


History  of  Charles  XII      151 

these  subterranean  magazines,  they  had  to 
sound  the  earth  with  long  poles  tipped  with 
iron.  The  Russians  and  the  Swedes  used  these 
provisions  by  turns,  but  they  were  not  always 
discovered,  nor  were  they  always  sufficient 
when  they  were. 

The  King  of  Sweden,  who  had  foreseen  these 
difficulties,  had  provided  biscuit  for  his  army, 
so  that  nothing  hindered  his  march.  After  he 
had  crossed  the  forest  of  Minski,  where  his 
men  were  obliged  every  moment  to  cut  down 
trees  to  make  way  for  the  troops  and  baggage, 
he  found  himself,  on  the  25th  of  June,  1708, 
near  Borislou,  in  front  of  the  river  Berezine. 

The  Czar  had  assembled  the  best  part  of  his 
troops  in  this  spot  and  had  entrenched  himself 
to  advantage ;  his  aim  was  to  hinder  the 
Swedes  from  crossing  the  river.  Charles 
placed  some  of  his  regiment  on  the  banks  of 
the  Berezine,  close  to  Borislou,  as  though  he 
intended  to  attempt  the  crossing  in  face  of  the 
enemy.  At  the  same  time  he  led  his  army 
about  three  leagues  up  the  river,  threw  a  bridge 
across  it,  cut  his  way  through  a  body  of  3,000 
men  who  defended  that  post,  and  marched 
straight  against  the  enemy  without  a  halt. 
The  Russians  did  not  wait  for  his  arrival,  but 
immediately  decamped  and  withdrew  towards 
Borysthenes,  spoiling  all  the  roads,  and  destroy 
ing  all  on  their  line  of  march,  so  that  they 
might  at  least  delay  the  Swedes'  advance. 

Charles  surmounted  all  difficulties,   continu- 


152     History  of  Charles  XII 

ally  advancing  towards  Borysthenes.  On  his 
way  he  met  20,000  Russians,  entrenched  at  a 
spot  called  Hollosin,  behind  a  marsh,  which 
could  not  be  reached  without  crossing  a  river. 
Charles  did  not  wait  till  the  rest  of  his  infantry 
had  arrived  to  make  the  attack,  but  threw 
himself  into  the  water  at  the  head  of  his  foot- 
guards,  and  crossed  the  river  and  the  morass, 
though  the  water  was  sometimes  above  his 
shoulders.  While  he  thus  attacked  the  enemy, 
he  ordered  his  cavalry  to  pass  round  the  morass 
and  take  them  in  the  flank. 

The  Russians,  amazed  that  no  barrier  could 
defend  them,  were  simultaneously  routed  by  the 
King  on  foot,  and  by  the  Swedish  horse.  The 
horse,  having  made  their  way  through  the 
enemy,  joined  the  King  in  the  midst  of  the 
fray.  He  then  mounted,  but  some  time  after, 
finding  a  young  Swedish  noble  named  Gyllen- 
stein,  for  whom  he  had  great  affection, 
wounded  in  the  fray  and  unable  to  walk,  he 
insisted  on  his  taking  his  horse,  and  continued 
to  command  on  foot  at  the  head  of  his  in 
fantry.  Of  all  the  battles  he  had  ever  fought, 
,  this  was  in  all  probability  the  most  glorious — 
that  in  which  he  was  exposed  to  the  greatest 
risks,  and  in  which  he  showed  the  greatest 
ability.  The  memory  of  it  is  kept  by  a  medal 
with  the  inscription,  "  Silvae,  paludes,  aggeres, 
hostes,  victi  "  on  one  side  and  '*  Victrices 
copias  alium  laturus  in  orbem  "  on  the  other. 

The    Russians,    driven    out    everywhere,    re- 


History  of  Charles  XII     153 

crossed  the  Borysthenes,  which  separates 
Poland  from  their  own  country.  Charles  lost 
no  time  in  following  them ;  he  crossed  the 
great  river  after  them  at  Mohilou,  the  last 
town  in  Poland,  which  is  sometimes  in  the 
hands  of  the  Poles,  sometimes  in  those  of  the 
Czar,  after  the  usual  fate  of  frontier  places. 

The  Czar,  seeing  his  empire,  into  which  he 
was  introducing  arts  and  commerce,  becoming 
a  prey  to  a  war  which  might  in  a  short  time 
ruin  his  plans,  and  perhaps  lose  him  his  throne, 
was  thinking  of  peace,  and  even  made  pro 
posals  by  a  Polish  nobleman  whom  he  sent  to 
the  Swedish  army.  Charles,  who  had  been 
unaccustomed  to  granting  peace  to  his  enemy 
except  in  their  capitals,  only  replied,  "  I  will 
treat  with  the  Czar  at  Moscow." 

When  the  Czar  heard  this  haughty  answer, 
"  My  brother  Charles,"  he  said,  "  would  still 
pose  as  Alexander,  but  I  flatter  myself  he  will 
find  me  no  Darius." 

From  Mohilou,  where  the  King  crossed  the 
Borysthenes,  turning  north  along  the  river, 
upon  the  frontiers  of  Poland  and  Russia,  is 
situated  the  country  of  Smolensko,  through 
which  lies  the  main  road  from  Poland  to  Mos 
cow.  The  Czar  fled  by  this  road,  and  the  King 
followed  by  forced  marches.  Part  of  the  Rus 
sian  rearguard  was  more  than  once  engaged 
with  the  dragoons  of  the  Swedish  vanguard. 
Generally  the  latter  got  the  advantage,  but 
they  weakened  themselves  by  these  skirmishes, 


154     History  of  Charles  XII 

which  were  never  decisive,  and  always  meant 
the  loss  of  some  of  their  men. 

On  the  22nd  of  September  this  year,  1708, 
the  King  attacked  a  body  of  ten  thousand  horse 
and  six  thousand  Calmouks  near  Smolensko. 

These  Calmouks  are  Tartars,  living  between 
Astrakan,  which  is  part  of  the  Czar's 
dominions,  and  Samarcande,  the  country  of 
the  Usbeck  Tartars.  The  Calmouks'  country 
stretches  from  the  east  to  the  mountains 
which  separate  the  Mogul  from  the  western 
part  of  Asia.  Those  who  dwell  near  Astrakan 
are  tributary  to  the  Czar.  He  pretends  to 
absolute  dominion  over  them,  but  their  wander 
ing  life  hinders  him  from  subduing  them,  and 
forces  him  to  treat  them  as  the  Grand-Seignior 
treats  the  Arabs,  sometimes  bearing  with  their 
robberies,  and  at  others  punishing  them. 

There  are  always  some  of  the  Calmouks  in 
the  Russian  army,  and  the  Czar  had  even  suc 
ceeded  in  reducing  them  to  discipline  like  the 
rest  of  his  soldiers. 

The  King  fell  on  this  army  with  only  six 
regiments  of  horse  and  four  thousand  in 
fantry  ;  he  broke  the  Russian  ranks  at  the  head 
of  his  Ostrogothic  regiment  and  forced  the 
enemy  to  retreat.  The  King  advanced  upon 
them  by  rough  and  hollow  ways  where  the 
Calmouks  lay  hid ;  they  then  appeared  and 
threw  themselves  between  the  regiment  where 
the  King  was  fighting  and  the  rest  of  the 
Swedish  army.  In  an  instaot  both  Russians 


History  of  Charles  XII     155 

and  Calmouks  had  surrounded  this  regiment 
and  made  their  way  close  up  to  his  Majesty. 
They  killed  two  aides-de-camp  who  were  fight 
ing  near  him.  The  King's  horse  was  killed 
under  him,  and  as  one  of  the  equerries  was 
offering  him  another,  both  equerry  and  horse 
were  struck  dead  on  the  spot.  Charles  fought 
on  foot,  surrounded  by  some  of  his  officers  who 
immediately  hastened  to  rally  round  him. 

Several  were  taken,  wounded  or  slain,  or 
swept  off  to  a  distance  from  the  King  by  the 
crowd  which  attacked  them ;  so  that  there  were 
only  five  men  left  near  him.  By  that  extra 
ordinary  good  luck  which  till  then  had  never 
deserted  him,  and  on  which  he  always  relied, 
he  had  killed  more  than  a  dozen  of  the  enemy 
with  his  own  hand  without  one  wound.  At  last 
Colonel  Dardoff  forced  his  way,  with  only  one 
company  of  his  regiment,  through  the  Cal 
mouks,  and  came  up  just  in  time  to  save  the 
King.  The  rest  of  the  Swedes  put  the  Tartars 
to  the  sword.  The  army  re-formed,  Charles 
mounted,  and,  fatigued  as  he  was,  pursued 
the  Russians  two  leagues. 

The  conqueror  was  still  on  the  main  road  to 
the  capital  of  Russia.  The  distance  from 
Smolensko,  where  this  battle  was  fought,  to 
Moscow,  is  about  100  French  leagues;  the 
army  had  scarcely  any  provisions.  The  King 
was  pressed  to  wait  till  General  Levenhaupt, 
who  was  to  bring  up  reinforcements  of  15,000 
men,  came  to  join  him.  Charles,  who  rarely 


156     History  of  Charles  XII 

listened  to  advice,  not  only  refused  to  listen  to 
this  wise  counsel,  but,  to  the  great  amazement 
of  the  whole  army,  left  the  Moscow  road,  and 
marched  south  towards  Ukrania  into  the 
country  of  the  Cossacks,  between  lesser  Tar- 
tary,  Poland  and  Russia. 

This  country  is  about  100  French  leagues 
from  north  to  south,  and  about  the  same  from 
east  to  west.  It  is  divided  into  two  nearly 
equal  parts  by  the  Borysthenes,  which  crosses 
from  north-west  to  south-west ;  the  chief  town 
is  Baturin,  on  the  little  river  Sem.  The  north 
ernmost  part  of  Ukrania  is  under  cultivation, 
and  rich ;  the  southernmost  part,  in  the  forty- 
eighth  degree,  is  one  of  the  most  fertile  and  at 
the  same  time  the  most  deserted  districts  in  the 
world ;  bad  management  quite  counteracts  its 
natural  advantages. 

The  inhabitants  of  those  parts,  which  border 
on  lesser  Tartary,  neither  plant  nor  sow  lest 
the  Tartars  of  Budziac,  Precop  and  Moldavia, 
who  are  all  brigands,  should  carry  off  their 
harvests. 

Ukrania  has  always  aspired  to  freedom ;  but 
being  hedged  in  by  Russia,  the  dominions  of 
the  Grand-Seignior,  and  Poland,  it  has  been 
obliged  to  seek  for  a  protector  (who  is,  of 
course,  a  master)  in  one  of  those  States.  First 
it  put  itself  under  the  protection  of  Poland, 
who  treated  it  too  much  as  a  subject-state ; 
then  they  appealed  to  the  Russians,  who 
did  their  best  to  reduce  them  to  serfdom, 


History  of  Charles  XII     157 

At  first  the  Ukranians  had  the  privilege  of 
choosing  a  prince,  called  general,  but  soon  they 
were  deprived  of  this  privilege,  and  their 
general  was  nominated  by  the  Russian  Court. 

The  office  was  then  filled  by  a  Pole  called 
Mazeppa ;  he  had  been  brought  up  as  page  to 
King  John  Casimir,  and  had  got  a  little  learn 
ing  at  his  Court.  On  the  discovery  of  an 
intrigue  with  the  wife  of  a  Polish  nobleman, 
the  latter  had  him  tied,  stark  naked,  to  a  wild 
horse,  and  set  him  free  in  that  state.  The 
horse,  which  had  been  brought  from  Ukrania, 
returned  to  its  own  country,  carrying  Mazeppa 
with  him  half  dead  from  hunger  and  fatigue. 
Some  of  the  peasants  gave  him  relief,  and  he 
stayed  a  long  time  among  them,  and  dis 
tinguished  himself  in  several  attempts  against 
the  Tartars.  The  superiority  of  his  intelli 
gence  made  him  a  person  of  consideration  in 
the  eyes  of  the  Cossacks,  and  as  his  reputation 
daily  increased  the  Czar  was  forced  to  make 
him  Prince  of  Ukrania. 

One  day,  as  he  was  sitting  at  table  with  the 
Czar  at  Moscow,  the  Emperor  proposed  to 
him  to  drill  the  Cossacks  and  make  them  more 
independent.  Mazeppa  pointed  out  the  situa 
tion  of  Ukrania  and  the  nature  of  the  people 
as  insurmountable  obstacles.  The  Czar,  who 
was  over-heated  with  wine,  and  had  not  always 
sufficient  self-control,  called  him  a  traitor,  and 
threatened  to  have  him  impaled.  On  his  return 
into  Ukrania  Mazeppa  planned  a  revolt.  The 


158     History  of  Charles  XII 

Swedish  army  appearing  shortly  after  on  the 
frontier  facilitated  matters  for  him,  and  he 
resolved  to  gain  independence,  and  to  form  for 
himself  a  powerful  kingdom  from  Ukrania  and 
the  ruins  of  the  Russian  Empire.  He  was  a 
man  of  great  courage,  of  considerable  enter 
prise,  and  most  painstaking,  though  he  was 
advanced  in  years. 

He  made  a  secret  league  with  the  King  of 
Sweden,  to  hasten  the  Czar's  downfall  and  gain 
something  himself  out  of  it.  He  gave  him  a 
rendezvous  near  the  river  Desna ;  Mazeppa 
promised  to  meet  him  there  with  30,000  men, 
ammunition  and  provisions,  and  all  his  trea 
sure,  which  was  immense.  The  Swedish  army 
was  therefore  ordered  to  march  towards  that 
part  of  the  country,  to  the  great  regret  of  the 
officers,  who  knew  nothing  of  the  King's  treaty 
with  the  Cossacks. 

Charles  sent  orders  to  Levenhaupt  to  bring 
his  troops  and  provisions  with  all  haste  to 
Ukrania,  where  he  intended  passing  the  winter, 
that,  having  subdued  that  country,  he  might 
conquer  Russia  the  following  spring;  mean 
while  he  advanced  towards  the  river  Desna, 
which  flows  into  the  Borysthenes  at  Kiouw. 

The  obstacles  they  had  hitherto  encountered 
on  their  march  were  trifles  to  those  they  met 
on  this  new  route;  they  had  to  cross  a  forest 
fifty  leagues  broad,  which  was  full  of  marshes. 
General  Lagercron,  who  led  the  van  with  5,000 
men  and  pioneers,  led  the  army  thirty  leagues 


History  of  Charles  XII      159 

too  far  to  the  east.  They  had  marched  four 
days  before  the  King  discovered  their  mis 
take.  They  regained  the  right  road  with  some 
difficulty,  but  almost  all  the  artillery  and 
wagons  were  stuck  fast  or  sunk  in  the  mud. 

They  then  marched  for  twelve  days  in  this 
painful  and  laborious  fashion  till  they  had  eaten 
the  little  biscuit  they  had  left,  and  so  they 
arrived,  spent  with  hunger  and  fatigue,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Desna,  where  Mazeppa  was  to 
meet  them.  Instead  of  the  Prince,  however, 
they  found  a  body  of  Russians  advancing  to 
wards  them  on  the  other  side  of  the  river. 
The  King  was  much  astonished,  and  decided 
to  cross  the  Desna  and  attack  the  enemy.  The 
banks  of  this  river  were  so  steep  that  they 
were  obliged  to  let  the  soldiers  down  by  cords ; 
then  they  crossed  in  their  usual  manner,  some 
by  swimming,  some  on  hastily  constructed 
rafts. 

The  band  of  Russians,  which  arrived  at  the 
same  time,  were  only  8,000,  so  that  their  resist 
ance  was  feeble,  and  this  obstacle  was  also 
overcome. 

Charles  advanced  further  into  this  desolate 
country,  uncertain  of  his  route  and  of 
Mazeppa's  fidelity;  at  last  the  latter  appeared, 
but  rather  as  a  fugitive  than  as  a  strong  ally. 
The  Russians  had  discovered  and  prevented  his 
plan  :  they  had  fallen  upon  the  Cossacks  and 
cut  them  in  pieces ;  his  chief  friends  were  taken 
red-handed,  and  thirty  of  them  had  been  broken 


160     History  of  Charles  XII 

on  the  wheel.  His  towns  were  reduced  to 
ashes,  his  treasures  plundered,  and  the  pro 
visions  he  was  preparing  for  the  King  of 
Sweden  seized.  He  himself  escaped  with  diffi 
culty,  accompanied  by  6,000  men,  and  some 
horses  laden  with  gold  and  silver.  But  he 
held  out  to  the  King  the  hope  that  he  would  be 
of  some  service  from  his  knowledge  of  this 
unknown  country,  and  by  the  affection  of  the 
natives,  who,  enraged  with  the  Russians,  came 
in  troops  to  the  camp,  and  brought  provisions. 

Charles  hoped  that  at  least  General  Leven- 
haupt  would  come  to  repair  this  ill  fortune ;  he 
was  to  bring  about  15,000  Swedes  (of  more 
use  than  100,000  Cossacks),  with  stores  and 
ammunition.  He  arrived  at  last,  but  almost 
in  the  same  condition  as  Mazeppa.  He  had 
already  passed  the  Borysthenes  above  Mohilou, 
and  advanced  about  twenty  leagues  further  on 
the  road  to  Ukrania.  He  brought  the  King  a 
convoy  of  8,000  wagons,  with  the  money  he 
had  raised  in  Lithuania  and  on  march.  On 
reaching  Lesno,  near  the  spot  where  the  rivers 
Pronia  and  Sossa  unite  to  flow  into  the  Bory 
sthenes  far  below,  the  Czar  appeared  at  the 
head  of  50,000  men. 

The  Swedish  general,  who  had  not  quite 
16,000,  decided  not  to  entrench.  Their  many 
victories  had  given  the  Swedes  so  much  con 
fidence  that  they  never  inquired  as  to  the 
enemy's  numbers,  but  only  their  position. 
Levenhaupt  marched  against  them  on  the  7th  of 


History  of  Charles  XII     161 

October,  1708,  in  the  afternoon.  At  the  first 
attack  they  killed  15,000  Russians;  the  Czar's 
army  took  panic  and  fled  in  all  directions,  and 
the  Emperor  of  Russia  thought  he  would  be 
entirely  defeated.  He  saw  that  the  safety  of 
his  dominions  depended  upon  the  action  of  the 
day,  and  that  he  could  be  ruined  if  Levenhaupt 
joined  the  King  of  Sweden  with  a  victorious 
army. 

As  soon  as  he  saw  his  troops  fall  back  he 
ran  to  the  rear,  where  the  Cossacks  and  Cal- 
mouks  were  posted,  and  said,  "  I  order  you  to 
fire  on  every  man  who  runs  away,  and  even  to 
shoot  me,  should  I  be  so  cowardly  as  to  turn 
my  back."  Then  he  returned  to  the  van  and 
rallied  the  troops  in  person,  assisted  by  the 
Prince  Menzikoff  and  Prince  Gallitsin.  Leven 
haupt,  who  had  pressing  orders  to  join  his 
master,  chose  to  continue  his  march  rather 
than  to  renew  the  battle,  thinking  that  he  had 
done  enough  to  discourage  the  enemy  from 
pursuit. 

No  later  than  eleven  the  next  morning  the 
Czar  attacked  him  on  the  entrance  to  a  morass, 
and  spread  his  lines  to  surround  him.  The 
Swedes  faced  about,  and  the  fight  lasted  two 
hours  with  equal  resolution  on  both  sides. 
The  Russians  lost  three  times  as  many  men, 
but  still  held  their  position,  and  the  victory 
was  undecided.  At  four  General  Bayer  brought 
the  Czar  reinforcements.  The  battle  was  then 
renewed  for  the  third  time  with  greater  fury 

M 


1 62     History  of  Charles  XII 

than  before,  and  lasted  till  nightfall.  Then  the 
force  of  numbers  carried  the  day ;  the  Swedes 
were  broken,  routed,  and  driven  back  on  their 
baggage.  Levenhaupt  rallied  his  men  behind 
his  chariots,  and  though  they  were  conquered 
they  did  not  flee. 

Not  one  from  an  army  of  about  9,000  men 
took  to  flight.  The  general  formed  them  up  as 
easily  as  if  they  had  not  been  beaten.  The 
Czar,  on  the  other  hand,  passed  the  night 
under  arms,  and  ordered  his  soldiers  on  pain 
of  death,  and  his  officers  on  pain  of  dismissal, 
to  abstain  from  plunder. 

Next  morning  at  daybreak  he  orderd  a  fresh 
attack.  Levenhaupt  had  retired  to  a  strong 
position  some  miles  distant,  after  having 
spiked  some  of  his  cannon  and  fired  some  of 
his  wagons.  The  Russians  came  up  just  in 
time  to  hinder  the  whole  convoy  from  being 
burned,  and  seized  six  thousand  wagons 
which  they  saved.  The  Czar,  who  wished  to 
utterly  crush  the  Swedes,  sent  one  of  his 
generals,  called  Phulg,  to  attack  them  for  the 
fifth  time,  and  he  offered  them  honourable 
terms  if  they  would  capitulate.  Levenhaupt 
refused,  and  the  fifth  battle  was  as  bloody 
as  any  of  the  former  ones.  Of  the  9,000 
soldiers  he  had  left  he  lost  half,  the  other  half 
not  breaking  line.  At  last  night  came  on,  and 
Levenhaupt,  after  having  fought  five  battles 
against  50,000  men,  crossed  the  Sossa  by 
swimming,  followed  by  the  5,000  men  remain- 


History  of  Charles  XII     163 

ing  to  him.  The  wounded  were  carried  over 
on  rafts.  The  Czar  lost  about  20,000  Rus 
sians  in  these  engagements,  in  which  he 
had  the  glory  of  conquering  the  Swedes, 
and  Levenhaupt  the  credit  of  disputing  the 
victory  for  three  days,  and  of  retreating  with 
out  being  forced  from  his  last  position.  So 
that  he  came  to  his  master's  camp  with  the 
honour  of  having  made  so  good  a  defence,  but 
without  ammunition  or  forces.  The  King  of 
Sweden,  therefore,  without  provisions,  and  cut 
off  from  communication  with  Poland,  was  sur 
rounded  by  enemies  in  the  midst  of  a  country 
where  he  had  scarcely  any  resource  but  his 
own  courage. 

In  this  extremity  the  memorable  winter  of 
1709,  which  was  still  more  severe  in  those  fron 
tiers  of  Europe  than  it  was  in  France, 
destroyed  a  part  of  his  army.  Charles  resolved 
to  defy  the  season  as  he  had  his  enemies ;  he 
ventured  on  long  marches  with  his  troops 
during  the  bitter  cold.  It  was  on  one  of  these 
marches  that  2,000  of  his  men  died  of  cold 
before  his  very  eyes.  The  cavalry  had  no 
boots,  and  the  foot  no  shoes,  and  hardly  any 
clothes.  They  were  forced  to  make  footgear 
of  the  skins  of  beasts  as  best  they  could,  and 
they  often  went  hungry.  They  had  even  been 
obliged  to  throw  the  best  part  of  their  cannon 
into  quagmires  and  rivers  for  want  of  horses 
to  draw  them ;  so  that  this  once  flourishing 
army  was  reduced  to  24,000  men  at  the  point  of 


164     History  of  Charles  XII 

starvation.  They  neither  got  news  from 
Sweden,  nor  were  they  able  to  send  there.  In 
this  state  of  affairs  one  officer  only  complained. 
"What,"  said  the  King  to  him,  "are  you 
miserable  at  being  so  far  from  your  wife?  If 
you  are  really  a  soldier  I  will  lead  you  to  such 
a  distance  that  you  will  not  hear  from  Sweden 

<  »  W*    TVEXl'^L  c  Kf  l^foR 

once  in  three  years.     Ok/cr  ,M  TH^EE 

The  Marquis  of  Brancas,  now  Swedish  am 
bassador,  told  me  that  a  soldier  ventured  to 
present  the  King,  before  the  whole  army,  with 
a  piece  of  bread  that  was  black  and  mouldy. 
It  was  made  from  barley  and  oats,  and  was 
the  only  food  they  then  had,  and  that  in 
scanty  quantities.  The  King  received  the  piece 
of  bread  unmoved,  ate  it  all,  and  then  said 
coolly  to  the  soldier,  "It  is  not  good,  but  one 
can  eat  it."  This  characteristic  touch,  insig 
nificant  as  it  is  (if,  indeed,  that  should  be  called 
insignificant  which  increases  respect  and  con 
fidence),  did  more  than  all  the  rest  to  help  the 
Swedish  army  to  bear  hardships  which,  would 
have  been  insupportable  under  any  other 
general. 

In  these  circumstances  he  at  last  received 
news  from  Stockholm,  but  only  that  his  sister 
the  Duchess  of  Holstein,  aged  27,  had  been 
carried  off  by  small-pox.  She  was  as  gentle 
and  pitiful  as  her  brother  was  imperious  and 
implacable  in  revenge.  He  had  always  been 
very  fond  of  her ;  he  felt  her  loss  the  more  as, 
now  that  the  tide  of  his  fortune  had  turned,  he 


History  of  Charles  XII    .165 

was  more  susceptible.  He  learned  also  that 
they  had  carried  out  his  orders  and  raised 
troops  and  money,  but  could  not  send  them  to 
his  camp ;  for  there  lay  between  him  and  Stock 
holm  nearly  five  hundred  leagues  and  an  enemy 
with  a  superior  force  to  encounter. 

The  Czar,  who  was  as  energetic  as  the  King, 
after  having  sent  fresh  forces  into  Poland  to 
assist  the  confederates,  united  under  General 
Siniawski  against  Stanislas,  and  soon  advanced 
into  Ukrania,  in  the  middle  of  this  severe 
winter,  to  oppose  the  King  of  Sweden.  He 
stayed  there  with  the  object  of  weakening  the 
enemy  by  small  engagements,  for  by  this 
means  he  thought  the  Swedish  army  must  be 
quite  wrecked  at  last,  as  he  was  able  to  draw 
fresh  forces  every  moment  from  his  dominions, 
while  they  could  not  get  recruits.  The  cold 
there  must  have  been  excessive,  since  it  forced 
the  two  enemies  to  suspend  hostilities.  But 
on  the  first  of  February,  amid  ice  and  snow, 
they  began  to  fight  again. 

After  several  small  skirmishes  and  some 
reverses,  the  King's  army  was  reduced  in  April 
.to  18,000  men.  Mazeppa  alone,  the  Prince  of 
the  Cossacks,  supplied  them  with  the  neces 
saries  of  life;  without  his  assistance  the  army 
must  have  perished  from  hunger  and  des 
titution. 

At  this  moment,  the  Czar,  to  attract 
Mazeppa  to  his  service  again,  offered  him  terms  ; 
but  the  Cossack  stood  by  his  new  ally,  either 


166     History  of  Charles  XII 

from  fear  of  the  terrible  punishment  of  the 
wheel,  by  which  his  friends  had  perished,  or 
because  he  sought  revenge. 

Charles,  with  his  18,000  Swedes  and  as 
many  Cossacks,  had  not  abandoned  his  plan  of 
reaching  Russia.  Towards  the  end  of  May  he 
went  to  siege  Pultawa,  on  the  river  Vorskla, 
on  the  extreme  eastern  frontier  of  Ukrania, 
about  thirteen  full  leagues  from  the  Bory- 
sthenes,  where  the  Czar  had  a  magazine.  This 
country  is  that  of  the  Zaporavians,  the 
strangest  people  in  the  world.  They  are  a 
collection  of  former  Russians,  Poles,  Tartars, 
and  all  make  profession  of  a  kind  of  Christi 
anity,  and  of  a  kind  of  freebooting  brigand 
age.  They  elect  a  chief,  whom  they  depose  or 
assassinate ;  they  allow  no  women  to  live 
among  them,  but  they  kidnap  all  the  children 
for  twenty  or  thirty  leagues  round,  and  train 
them  in  their  ways.  During  summer  they  are 
always  in  the  field,  during  winter  they  sleep  in 
vast  barns,  containing  400  or  500  men.  They 
fear  nothing,  and  live  at  liberty ;  they  risk 
death  for  the  smallest  booty,  with  the  same 
boldness  with  which  Charles  XII  faced  it  to 
bestow  crowns.  The  Czar  sent  them  60,000 
florins  in  the  hope  that  they  would  side  with 
him ;  they  took  the  money  and  then,  through 
the  exertions  of  Mazeppa,  declared  for  Charles  : 
but  they  proved  of  very  little  use,  for  they 
think  it  ridiculous  to  fight  for  anything  but 
booty.  It  was  a  great  point  gained  that  they 


History  of  Charles  XII     167 

did  no  harm  :  there  were  about  2,000  of  them 
at  most  who  did  regular  duty.  Ten  of  their 
chiefs  were  one  day  presented  to  Charles,  but 
they  had  great  difficulty  in  finding  those  who 
were  not  intoxicated,  for  they  always  began  the 
day  in  that  condition.  They  were  taken  into 
the  trenches,  and  showed  their  skill  in  shooting 
with  long  rifles,  for  they  could  pick  off  the 
enemies  they  singled  out  at  600  paces  away. 
Charles  added  to  these  bandits  some  1,000 
Valaques  ;  then  he  laid  siege  to  Pultawa, 
with  an  army  of  about  30,000  men,  in  a 
wretched  condition  and  wanting  all  necessaries. 
The  Czar  had  made  Pultawa  a  magazine  :  if 
the  King  took  it  it  would  open  the  road  to 
Moscow  for  him,  and  he  could  await,  well 
supplied,  the  recruits  he  expected  from  Sweden, 
Livonia,  Pomerania  and  Poland.  As,  then,  his 
sole  resource  lay  in  the  taking  of  Pultawa,  he 
carried  on  the  siege  with  vigour.  Mazeppa, 
who  had  informants  in  the  town,  assured  him 
that  he  would  soon  master  it,  and  hope  began 
to  reanimate  the  army.  His  soldiers  regarded 
the  taking  of  Pultawa  as  the  end  of  all  their 
miseries. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  siege  the  King 
realized  that  he  had  given  his  enemies  some 
useful  lessons  in  the  art  of  war.  Prince  Menzi- 
koff,  in  spite  of  all  his  precautions,  threw  rein 
forcements  into  the  town,  and  the  garrison 
then  amounted  to  almost  10,000  men.  They 
made  sorties,  sometimes  successfully;  but 


1 68     History  of  Charles  XII 

what  made  the  town  impregnable  was  the  ap 
proach  of  the  Czar,  who  was  advancing  with 
10,000  combatants.  Charles  XII  went  to  meet 
him  on  the  27th  of  May,  his  birthday,  and  beat 
one  of  their  corps ;  but  as  he  was  returning 
from  his  camp  he  got  a  musket-shot,  which 
pierced  his  boot  and  shattered  his  heel-bone. 
There  was  not  the  least  sign  on  his  face  that 
he  had  been  shot ;  he  continued  calmly  to  give 
his  orders,  and  remained  mounted  nearly  six 
hours  after  the  accident.  One  of  his  servants 
at  last  noticing  that  the  sole  of  his  boot  was 
covered  with  blood,  ran  for  the  doctor;  then 
the  King's  pain  was  so  acute  that  they  had 
to  take  him  off  his  horse  and  carry  him  to  his 
tent.  The  surgeons  examined  the  wound  and 
saw  that  it  had  already  begun  to  mortify,  and 
thought  that  the  leg  must  be  cut  off.  The  con 
sternation  in  the  army  was  great.  But  one  of 
the  surgeons,  called  Newman,  better  skilled 
and  braver  than  the  rest,  was  certain  that  he 
could  save  the  leg  by  means  of  a  deep  incision. 

"  Begin  at  once,  then,"  said  the  King;  "  cut 
boldly,  fear  nothing."  He  held  his  leg  with 
his  own  hands,  looking  at  the  incisions  made 
as  if  they  were  in  the  leg  of  another. 

As  they  were  putting  on  the  dressing  he  gave 
orders  for  an  assault  next  morning,  but 
scarcely  had  he  given  the  order  than  they 
brought  him  word  that  the  whole  army  of 
the  enemy  was  upon  him.  He  was  therefore 
obliged  to  alter  his  plan.  Wounded  and  incapa- 


History  of  Charles  XII      169 

ble  of  action,  he  found  himself  shut  in  between 
the  river  Borysthenes  and  the  river  which  runs 
to  Pultawa,  in  a  desert  district,  with  no  forts 
or  ammunition,  and  opposed  to  an  army  which 
cut  him  off  from  retreat  or  provisions.  In  this 
terrible  position  he  did  not,  as  might  have  been 
expected,  assemble  a  council  of  war,  but  on 
the  night  of  7th  July  he  sent  for  Marshal 
Renschild,  and  ordered  him,  without  delibera 
tion,  but  without  uneasiness,  to  prepare  to 
attack  the  Czar  next  morning-.  Renschild 
did  not  argue,  but  went  to  carry  out  his 
orders. 

At  the  door  of  the  King's  tent  he  met  Count 
Piper,  with  whom,  as  often  happens  between 
the  minister  and  the  general,  he  had  long 
been  on  bad  terms.  Piper  asked  him  if  there 
were  anything  new.  "  No,"  said  the  General 
coldly,  and  passed  on  to  give  his  orders.  As 
soon  as  Piper  entered  the  royal  tent  the  King 
asked  if  Renschild  had  told  him  anything. 
"Nothing,"  answered  Piper.  "Well,  then," 
answered  the  King,  "  I  tell  you  that  to-morrow 
we  shall  give  battle."  Count  Piper  was  aston 
ished  at  so  desperate  a  resolve,  but  he  knew 
that  his  master  could  never  be  made  to  change 
his  opinion ;  he  only  expressed  his  astonish 
ment  by  his  silence,  and  left  the  King  to  sleep 
till  dawn. 

The  battle  of  Pultawa  was  fought  on  the 
8th  of  July,  1709,  between  the  two  most  famous 
monarchs  in  the  world  :  Charles  XII,  distin- 


170     History  of  Charles  XII 

guished  by  a  course  of  nine  years'  victories, 
and  Peter  Alexiowitz  by  nine  years  of  pains 
taking1  training  of  his  troops  to  an  equality 
with  the  Swedes ;  the  one  famed  for  having 
given  away  the  dominions  of  others,  the  other 
for  having  civilized  his  own ;  Charles  loving 
danger  and  fighting  only  for  the  sake  of  glory, 
Alexiowitz  not  running  away  from  difficulties, 
and  making  war  from  interested  motives  only ; 
the  Swedish  King  liberal  from  a  generous  tem 
perament,  the  Russian  never  generous  but  with 
some  object  in  view;  the  former  sober  and 
temperate  in  an  extraordinary  degree,  naturally 
brave  and  only  once  showing  cruelty,  the  latter 
not  having  thrown  off  the  roughness  of  his 
education  or  his  race,  as  terrible  to  his  sub 
jects  as  he  was  wonderful  to  strangers,  and 
addicted  to  excess  which,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
shortened  his  days.  Charles  bore  the  title 
"  Invincible,"  which  he  might  lose  at  any 
moment ;  the  nations  had  already  given  Peter 
the  title  "  Great,"  which  he  could  not  lose  by 
any  defeat,  as  he  did  not  owe  it  to  his  victories. 
To  get  a  clear  idea  of  this  battle  and  the 
place  where  it  was  fought,  one  must  imagine 
Pultawa  to  the  north,  the  King  of  Sweden's 
camp  to  the  south,  slightly  to  the  east;  his 
baggage  about  a  mile  behind  him,  and  the 
river  Pultawa  on  the  north  side  of  the  town, 
running  from  east  to  west.  The  Czar  had 
passed  the  river  about  a  league  from  Pultawa, 
towards  the  west,  and  was  beginning  to  form 


History  of  Charles  XII     171 

his  camp.  At  daybreak  the  Swedes  appeared 
above  their  trenches  with  four  cannon  for  their 
artillery ;  the  rest  were  left  in  the  camp  with 
about  3,000  men,  and  4,000  remained  with  the 
baggage.  So  that  the  Swedish  army  march 
ing  against  the  enemy  consisted  of  about 
25,000  men,  of  whom  not  more  than  12,000 
were  regulars.  Generals  Renschild,  Roos, 
Levenhaupt,  Slipenbak,  Hoorn,  Sparre,  Hamil 
ton,  the  Prince  of  Wirtemburg,  a  relation  of 
the  King,  and  some  others,  most  of  whom  had 
been  at  the  battle  of  Narva,  reminded  the 
subalterns  of  that  day,  when  8,000  Swedes  had 
destroyed  an  army  of  100,000  Russians  in 
entrenchments.  The  officers  remarked  it  to  the 
soldiers,  and  all  encouraged  one  another  on  the 
march. 

The  King  conducted  the  march,  carried  in 
a  litter  at  the  head  of  his  infantry.  By  his 
order  a  party  of  horse  advanced  to  attack  that 
of  the  enemy;  the  battle  began  with  this 
engagement.  At  half-past  four  in  the  morning 
the  enemy's  cavalry  lay  to  the  west,  on  the 
right  of  the  Russian  camp  :  Prince  Menzikoff 
and  Count  Golowin  had  placed  them  at  inter 
vals  between  redoubts  fortified  with  cannon. 
General  Slipenbak,  at  the  head  of  the  Swedes, 
fell  upon  them.  All  who  have  served  with  the 
Swedes  know  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
resist  their  first  onset.  The  Russian  squadrons 
were  broken  and  put  to  flight.  The  Czar  him 
self  ran  to  rally  them,  and  his  hat  was  pierced 


172     History  of  Charles  XII 

by  a  musket  shot.  Menzikoff  had  three  horses 
killed  under  him,  and  the  Swedes  shouted 
victory. 

Charles  was  sure  that  the  battle  was  gained ; 
he  had  sent  General  Creuts  about  midnight 
with  five  thousand  horse  to  attack  the  enemy's 
rear  while  he  attacked  their  front,  but,  as  ill- 
luck  would  have  it,  Creuts  lost  his  way  and  did 
not  appear. 

The  Czar,  who  had  thought  that  all  was  lost, 
had  time  to  rally  his  cavalry,  and  fell  on  the 
King's  horse  in  his  turn;  unsupported  by 
Creuts'  detachment  it  was  broken,  and  Slipen- 
bak  taken  prisoner.  At  the  same  time  seventy- 
two  cannon  from  the  camp  played  on  the 
Swedish  horse,  and  the  Russian  foot,  issuing 
from  their  lines,  advanced  to  attack  Charles. 

The  Czar  then  detached  Menzikoff  and  sent 
him  to  take  up  a  position  between  Pultawa 
and  the  Swedes.  He  carried  out  his  master's 
orders  dexterously  and  promptly  :  not  only  did 
he  cut  the  communication  between  the  Swedish 
army  and  the  troops  remaining  in  the  camp  at 
Pultawa,  but  meeting  a  body  of  3,000  reserves 
he  cut  them  to  pieces.  Meanwhile,  the  Russian 
foot  issued  from  their  lines  and  advanced  in 
order  into  the  plain  on  the  other  side ;  the 
Swedish  horse  rallied  within  a  quarter  of  a 
league  of  the  enemy's  army,  and  the  King, 
assisted  by  General  Renschild,  gave  orders  for 
a  general  engagement. 

He    ranged    his    remaining    troops    in    two 


History  of  Charles  XII     173 

lines,  his  foot  in  the  centre,  his  horse  on  the 
two  wings.  The  Czar  arranged  his  forces  in 
the  same  way ;  he  had  the  advantage  in  num 
bers  and  also  seventy-two  cannon,  while  the 
Swedes  had  only  four,  and  were  running  out  of 
powder. 

The  Czar  was  in  the  centre  of  his  army,  and 
at  that  time  bore  the  title  of  Major-General, 
and  was  apparently  in  the  service  of  General 
Czermetoff;  but  as  Emperor  he  went  from 
rank  to  rank,  mounted  on  a  Turkish  horse,  a 
present  from  the  Grand-Seignior,  exhorting  his 
officers  and  soldiers  and  promising  them  all 
rewards.  At  nine  in  the  morning  the  battle 
began  again.  One  of  the  first  discharges  of  the 
Russian  cannon  carried  off  the  two  horses  of 
the  King's  litter;  he  had  two  others  harnessed 
in,  and  a  second  volley  shattered  the  litter  and 
threw  the  King  out.  The  troops  who  were 
fighting  near  him  believed  he  was  killed ;  in 
the  consternation  the  Swedes  lost  ground,  and, 
their  powder  failing  and  the  enemy's  cannon 
keeping  up  fire,  the  first  line  fell  back  on  the 
second,  and  the  second  fled.  In  this  last  action 
of  the  Swedish  army  they  were  routed  by  a 
single  line  of  10,000  Russian  infantry;  so  much 
had  matters  changed.  Prince  Wirtemburg, 
General  Renschild  and  several  leading  officers 
were  already  prisoners;  the  camp  before  Pul- 
tawa  was  forced,  and  all  in  utterly  hopeless 
confusion.  Count  Piper  and  other  officers  had 
left  the  camp  and  did  not  know  what  to  do, 


174     History  of  Charles  XII 

nor  what  had  become  of  their  King.  They 
ran  from  one  side  of  the  field  to  the  other ; 
Major  Bere  offered  to  lead  them  to  the  bag 
gage,  but  the  clouds  of  dust  and  smoke  which 
covered  the  field,  and  their  own  confusion, 
carried  them  to  the  other  side  of  the  town, 
where  they  were  taken  prisoners  by  the 
garrison. 

The  King  was  unwilling  to  flee,  and  would  not 
defend  himself.  General  Poniatowski  chanced 
to  be  with  him  at  that  moment.  He  was  a 
colonel  of  King  Stanislas'  Swedish  guards, 
and  a  person  of  remarkable  merit,  who  was  so 
attached  to  Charles  XII  that  he  had  accom 
panied  him  as  a  volunteer  to  Ukrania.  He 
was  a  man  who  in  all  the  chances  of  life,  and  in 
danger,  where  others  would  at  most  have  only 
shown  courage,  always  made  his  plans  at  once 
and  met  with  success  ;  he  signed  to  two  soldiers, 
who  took  the  King  under  the  arms  and  put  him 
on  horseback  in  spite  of  the  great  pain  of  his 
wound. 

Poniatowski,  though  he  had  no  command  in 
the  army,  being  made  general  by  necessity  on 
this  occasion,  rallied  500  horse  round  the 
King's  person :  some  were  dragoons,  some 
ordinary  troopers,  some  officers.  This  band, 
inspired  by  the  misfortune  of  their  Prince, 
made  their  way  through  more  than  ten  regi 
ments  of  Russians  and  took  Charles  through 
the  midst  of  the  enemy,  the  distance  of  a 
league,  to  the  baggage  of  the  Swedish  army. 


History  of  Charles  XII      175 

This  amazing-  retreat  was  an  achievement  in 
such  a  disastrous  situation,  but  it  was  neces 
sary  for  the  King  to  flee  further. 

Though  the  King  had  never  had  a  coach  since 
he  left  Stockholm,  they  found  Count  Piper's 
among  the  baggage.  They  put  him  into  it 
and  started  for  the  Borysthenes  with  all  haste. 
The  King,  who  had  not  spoken  a  single  word 
from  the  time  he  was  put  on  horseback  till  he 
came  to  the  baggage,  then  asked  what  had 
become  of  Count  Piper.  '*  He  has  been  taken 
prisoner  with  all  his  chancery  officers,"  they 
told  him.  "  And  General  Renschild  and  the 
Duke  of  Wirtemburg?"  he  asked.  "  They  too 
are  prisoners,"  said  Poniatowski.  "  Prisoners 
of  the  Russians!"  exclaimed  Charles,  with  a 
shrug;  "  let  us  rather  escape  to  Turkey."  His 
expression  did  not  change,  however,  and  who 
ever  had  seen  him  and  been  ignorant  of  his 
position  would  never  have  suspected  that  he 
had  been  either  conquered  or  wounded. 

While  he  was  escaping  the  Russians  seized 
his  artillery  in  the  camp  before  Pultawa,  his 
baggage  and  his  military  chest,  containing 
6,000,000  in  specie,  the  spoil  of  Poland  and 
Saxony.  Nearly  9,000  Swedes  were  killed  in 
the  battle,  about  6,000  were  taken  prisoners. 
There  still  remained  some  18,000,  including 
Swedes  and  Poles,  as  well  as  Cossacks,  who 
escaped  to  the  Borysthenes  under  the  direc 
tion  of  General  Levenhaupt.  He  went  one 
way  with  these  fugitives  while  the  King, 


176     History  of  Charles  XII 

with  some  of  his  cavalry,  took  another  direc 
tion.  The  coach  in  which  he  was  riding- 
broke  down  by  the  way,  and  they  put  him  on 
horseback  again.  To  complete  his  misfortunes 
he  got  lost  in  a  wood  during  the  night;  there 
his  courage  could  no  longer  make  up  for  his 
spent  strength,  the  pain  of  his  wound  was 
intensified  by  fatigue,  and  his  horse  fell  under 
him  from  exhaustion.  He  lay  for  some  hours 
at  the  foot  of  a  tree,  each  moment  in  danger 
of  a  surprise  from  the  conquerors  who  were 
looking  for  him  everywhere. 

At  last,  on  the  night  of  July  gth,  he  found 
himself  on  the  banks  of  the  Borysthenes,  and 
Levenhaupt  had  just  come  up  with  the  rem 
nants  of  the  army.  The  Swedes  saw  with  joy 
mingled  with  grief,  their  King  whom  they  had 
thought  to  be  dead.  The  enemy  drew  near; 
they  had  no  bridge  to  pass  the  river,  nor  time 
to  make  one,  nor  powder  to  defend  themselves 
with,  nor  provisions  to  save  the  army  from 
perishing  with  hunger,  for  they  had  eaten 
nothing  for  two  days. 

At  all  events,  the  rest  of  the  army  were 
Swedes,  and  the  conquered  King  was  Charles 
XII.  Almost  all  the  officers  advised  that  a 
stand  should  be  made  to  meet  the  Russians, 
and  that  they  should  die  or  conquer  on  the 
banks  of  the  Borysthenes.  Doubtless  Charles 
would  have  decided  on  this  course  had  he  not 
been  overcome  with  weakness ;  his  wound 
mortified  and  he  had  fever;  and  it  has  been 


History  of  Charles  XII      177 

remarked  that  most  men,  when  attacked  with 
the  fever  of  suppuration,  lose  the  instinct  of 
valour  which,  like  other  virtues,  needs  a  calm 
head.  Charles  was  no  longer  master  of  him-!: 
sejf.  They  carried  him  like  a  sick  man  who 
has  lost  consciousness. 

Happily  they  had  still  a  miserable  calash, 
which  they  had  brought  to  that  spot  at  great 
risk;  they  embarked  it  in  a  little  boat,  and  the 
King  and  General  Mazeppa  in  another.  The 
latter  had  saved  several  coffers  full  of  money, 
but  as  the  current  was  very  rapid  and  the  wind 
began  to  blow  the  Cossack  threw  more  than 
three  parts  of  his  treasure  into  the  river  to 
lighten  the  boat.  Mullen,  the  King's  chancellor, 
and  Count  Poniatowski,  who  was  now  more 
than  ever  indispensable  to  the  King,  for  his 
remarkable  presence  of  mind  in  difficulties, 
crossed  over  in  other  boats  with  some  of  the 
officers.  Three  hundred  horsemen  and  a  large 
number  of  Poles  and  Cossacks,  relying  on  the 
strength  of  their  horses,  ventured  to  cross  by 
swimming.  Their  troop,  keeping  close  to 
gether,  resisted  the  current  and  broke  the 
waves,  but  all  who  tried  to  cross  separately  a 
little  lower  down  were  carried  away  and  sank. 
Of  the  foot  that  tried  to  cross  not  one  got  to 
the  other  side. 

While  the  routed  army  was  in  this  difficult 
position  Prince  Menzikoff  came  up  with  10,000 
horse,  each  with  a  foot  soldier  behind  him. 
The  bodies  of  the  Swedes  who  had  died  on  the 

N 


178     History  of  Charles  XII 

way  of  wounds,  fatigue  and  hunger  were  an 
index  to  the  Prince  of  the  route  that  the  army 
had  taken.  The  Prince  sent  a  herald  to  the 
Swedish  General  to  offer  capitulation.  Im 
mediately  four  generals  were  sent  by  Leven- 
haupt  to  receive  the  conqueror's  order.  Before 
that  day  16,000  of  King  Charles's  soldiers 
would  have  attacked  the  whole  force  of  the 
Russian  empire  and  have  perished  to  a  man, 
rather  than  have  surrendered ;  but  after  a 
battle  lost  and  a  flight  of  two  days,  and  after 
having  lost  their  Prince  who  had  been  forced  to 
flee  himself,  the  strength  of  every  soldier  being 
spent  and  their  courage  no  longer  supported  by 
hope,  the  love  of  life  overcame  courage.  The 
whole  army  was  made  prisoners  of  war.  Some 
of  the  soldiers,  in  despair  at  falling  into 
Russian  hands,  threw  themselves  into  the 
Borysthenes,  and  the  rest  were  made  slaves. 
They  defiled  in  Prince  Menzikoff's  presence  and 
laid  their  arms  at  his  feet,  as  30,000  Russians 
had  done  nine  years  before  at  the  King  of 
Sweden's  at  Narva. 

But  while  the  King  then  sent  back  all  the 
Russian  prisoners  he  was  not  afraid  of,  the 
Czar  kept  all  the  Swedes  that  were  taken  at 
Pultawa.  These  poor  wretches  were  dispersed 
throughout  the  Czar's  dominions,  and  particu 
larly  in  Siberia,  a  vast  province  of  greater 
Tartary  which  stretches  eastward  to  the 
frontiers  of  the  Chinese  empire.  In  this  bar 
barous  country,  where  the  use  of  bread  was 


History  of  Charles  XII      179 

unknown,  the  Swedes,  ingenious  through 
necessity,  exercised  the  trades  and  arts  they 
had  formerly  been  brought  up  to.  All  the 
distinctions  which  fortune  makes  between  men 
were  then  banished,  the  officer  who  had  no 
handicraft  was  forced  to  cut  and  carry  wood 
for  the  soldier,  who  had  now  turned  tailor, 
draper,  joiner,  mason,  or  smith,  and  got  a 
livelihood  by  his  labour.  Some  officers  became 
painters  and  some  architects,  some  taught 
languages  and  mathematics ;  they  even  went 
so  far  as  to  erect  public  schools,  which 
gradually  became  so  useful  and  famous  that 
they  sent  children  there  from  Moscow.  Count 
Piper,  the  King's  first  minister,  was  long  im 
prisoned  at  Petersburg.  The  Czar,  like  the 
rest  of  Europe,  believed  that  this  minister  had 
sold  his  master  to  the  Duke  of  Marlborough, 
and  so  brought  the  arms  of  Sweden,  which 
might  have  pacified  Europe,  on  Russia,  and 
he  made  his  captivity  more  severe  on  this 
supposition.  Piper  died  some  years  after  at 
Moscow,  having  received  little  assistance  from 
his  family,  which  lived  in  great  opulence  at 
Stockholm,  and  uselessly  lamented  by  his  King, 
who  would  never  humble  himself  by  offering  a 
ransom,  which  he  feared  the  Czar  would  not 
accept,  for  there  was  never  any  challenge  of 
exchange  between  Charles  and  the  Czar.  The 
Emperor  of  Russia,  elated  by  a  joy  which  he 
took  no  pains  to  conceal,  received  on  the  battle 
field  the  prisoners  whom  they  brought  to  him 


i8o     History  of  Charles  XII 

in  troops,  and  asked  every  moment,  "  Where, 
then,  is  Charles  my  brother?" 

He  paid  the  Swedish  Generals  the  compli 
ment  of  inviting  them  to  his  table;  among 
other  questions  he  asked  Renschild  :  What 
were  the  numbers  of  the  army  of  the  King  his 
master  before  the  battle?  Renschild  answered 
that  only  the  King  had  the  list  of  them  and 
never  gave  information  to  any  one,  but  that 
he  thought  the  whole  number  might  be  35,000 
men,  of  whom  18,000  were  Swedes  and  the 
rest  Cossacks.  The  Czar  seemed  surprised, 
and  asked  how  they  dare  invade  so  distant  a 
country  and  lay  siege  to  Pultawa  with  so  small 
a  force.  "  We  were  not  always  consulted," 
answered  the  Swedish  General,  "  but  like  faith 
ful  servants  we  obeyed  our  master's  orders 
without  ever  contradicting  him."  On  this 
answer  the  Czar  turned  to  certain  courtiers, 
who  had  been  suspected  of  conspiring  against 
him,  "  Ah  !"  he  said,  "  see  how  a  sovereign 
should  be  obeyed." 

Then,  taking  a  glass  of  wine,  "  To  the 
health  of  my  masters  in  the  art  of  war,"  he 
said.  Renschild  asked  who  they  were  whom 
he  honoured  with  so  high  a  title?  "  You, 
gentlemen,  the  Swedish  Generals,"  answered 
the  Czar.  "  Your  Majesty  is  very  ungrateful 
to  handle  your  masters  so  severely,"  replied 
Renschild.  When  dinner  was  over  the  Czar 
ordered  their  swords  to  be  restored  to  all  the 
officers,  and  treated  them  as  a  Prince  who 


<• 


History  of  Charles  XII      181 

had  a  mind  to  give  his  subjects  lessons  in 
generosity  and  good  breeding.  But  this  same 
Prince,  who  treated  the  Swedish  Generals  so 
well,  had  all  the  Cossacks  he  caught  broken  on 
the  wheel. 

Thus  the  Swedish  army,  which  left  Saxony 
in  such  triumph,  was  now  no  more  :  one  half 
having  perished  from  want,  and  the  other  half 
being  enslaved  or  massacred.  Charles  XII 
had  lost  in  one  day  the  fruit  of  nine  years' 
labours  and  almost  a  hundred  battles. 

He  fled  in  a  wretched  calash,  with  General 
Hoorn,  dangerously  wounded ;  the  rest  of  his 
troops  followed,  some  on  horseback,  some  in 
wagons,  across  a  desert  where  there  were 
neither  huts,  tents,  men,  animals  nor  roads ; 
everything,  even  water,  was  lacking. 

That  was  at  the  beginning  of  July.  The 
country  is  in  the  forty-seventh  degree  of 
latitude;  the  sun's  heat  was  made  less  endur 
able  by  the  dry  sand  of  the  desert;  horses  fell 
by  the  way,  and  men  were  near  dying  of 
thirst.  Towards  night  they  found  a  spring  of 
muddy  water ;  they  filled  bottles  with  the  water, 
which  saved  the  lives  of  the  King's  little 
troop.  After  five  days'  march  he  found  himself 
on  the  banks  of  the  river  Hippais,  now  called 
the  Bogh  by  the  barbarians,  who  have  dis 
figured  even  the  names  of  the  countries  to 
which  Greek  colonies  had  brought  prosperity. 
This  river  joins  the  Borysthenes  some  miles 
lower,  and  with  it  falls  into  the  Black  Sea. 


182     History  of  Charles  XII 

Beyond  the  Bogh,  towards  the  south,  is  the 
little  town  of  Oczakou,  frontier-town  of  the 
Turkish  empire.  The  inhabitants,  seeing  ap 
proach  a  troop  of  men-at-arms  whose  dress 
and  language  were  strange  to  them,  refused  to 
carry  them  over  to  Oczakou  without  an  order 
from  the  Governor  of  the  town,  Mahomet- 
Bacha.  The  King  sent  this  Governor  an  ex 
press  message,  asking  for  a  passage.  But  the 
Turk,  not  knowing  how  to  act  in  a  country 
where  a  false  step  often  costs  a  man  his  life, 
dare  not  act  on  his  own  responsibility  without 
the  permission  of  the  Pasha  of  the  province, 
who  lived  at  Bender,  in  Bessarabia,  thirty 
leagues  from  Oczakou.  While  they  were 
awaiting  this  permission  the  Russians  had 
crossed  the  Borysthenes,  and  approached  to 
seize  the  King  himself. 

At  last  the  Pasha  sent  word  to  the  King 
saying  that  he  would  send  a  small  boat  for 
him  and  for  two  or  three  of  his  suite.  Then 
the  Swedes  seized  by  force  what  they  could 
not  obtain  by  gentle  means :  some  went  to 
the  other  bank  in  a  little  skiff,  and  seizing- 
some  boats  brought  them  to  their  bank.  This 
was  the  means  of  their  rescue,  for  the  owners 
of  the  Turkish  boats,  fearing  to  lose  the  chance 
of  some  gain,  came  in  crowds  to  offer  their 
services ;  just  at  this  moment  the  favourable 
reply  of  the  Governor  of  Bender  arrived.  But 
the  Russians  came  up,  and  the  King  had  the 
misfortune  of  seeing  500  of  his  followers  who 


History  Oi<- Charles  XII     183 

had  not  been  able  to  get  over  in  time  seized 
by  the  enemy,  whose  insulting  boasts  he  heard. 
The  Pasha  of  Oczakou  asked  his  pardon,  by 
an  interpreter,  for  these  delays,  which  had 
caused  the  capture  of  the  500  men,  and  be 
sought  him  not  to  mention  it  to  the  Grand- 
Seignior.  Charles  promised,  after  scolding  him 
as  if  he  were  one  of  his  own  subjects. 

The  Commander  of  Bender  sent  in  haste  an 
aga  to  wait  on  the  King,  and  offer  him  a 
magnificent  tent,  provisions,  wagons,  all  con 
veniences,  officers  and  attendants,  necessary  to 
bring  him  with  splendour  to  Bender.  For  it  is 
customary  with  the  Turks  not  only  to  defray 
the  expenses  of  ambassadors  to  their  place  of 
residence  but  plentifully  to  supply,  during  the 
time  of  their  sojourn,  the  needs  of  the  Princes 
who  take  refuge  among  them. 


I 


BOOK   V 


BOOK    V 

The  state  of  the  Ottoman  Porte— Charles  retires  to 
Bender— His  occupations— His  intrigues  at  the 
porte — His  plans — Augustus  restored — The  King 
of  Denmark  attacks  Sweden— All  the  King's  other 
territories  are  invaded — The  Czar  keeps  festival  at 
Moscow  — The  affair  of  Pruth— History  of  the 
Czarina. 

ACHMET  the  third  was  then  Emperor  of  the 
Turks.  He  had  been  placed  on  the  throne  in 
1703,  replacing  his  brother  Mustapha,  by  a 
revolution  like  that  which  in  England  trans 
ferred  the  crown  from  James  II  to  his  son-in- 
law  William.  Mustapha  was  under  the  control 
of  his  Mufti,  whom  the  people  hated,  and 
made  his  whole  empire  revolt  against  him. 
His  army,  with  which  he  had  reckoned  to 
punish  the  malcontents,  joined  them,  and  he 
was  seized,  unceremoniously  deposed,  and  his 
brother  taken  from  the  seraglio  to  be  made 
Sultan,  almost  without  bloodshed.  Achmet 
confined  the  deposed  Sultan  in  Constantinople, 
where  he  survived  for  several  years,  to  the 
great  surprise  of  the  Turks,  who  had  been 
accustomed  to  see  the  dethronement  of  their 
kings  followed  by  their  death.  The  only  return 
the  new  Sultan  made  to  the  ministers,  the 
generals,  the  officers  of  janissaries,  and  to 
those  who  had  part  in  the  revolution,  was  to 
execute  them  one  after  the  other,  for  fear  they 
187 


1 88     History  of  Charles  XII 

should  subsequently  attempt  another  revolu 
tion.  By  the  sacrifice  of  so  many  brave  men 
he  weakened  the  empire  but  strengthened  his 
throne.  Henceforth  his  mind  was  bent  on 
amassing  treasure.  He  was  the  first  of  the 
sultans  who  ventured  to  make  a  small  altera 
tion  in  the  money,  and  to  impose  a  new  tax; 
but  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  both  these  plans 
for  fear  of  a  rebellion,  for  the  rapacity  and 
tyranny  of  the  Grand  Seignior  is  felt  only  by 
the  officers  of  the  empire,  who,  whoever  they 
may  be,  are  slaves  of  the  sultan ;  but  the  rest 
of  the  Mussulmans  live  in  absolute  security, 
with  no  fears  for  their  lives,  fortunes  and 
liberty. 

Such  was  the  Emperor  of  the  Turks,  to 
whom  the  King  of  Sweden  fled  for  refuge. 
He  wrote  to  him  as  soon  as  he  arrived  in  his 
territory.  His  letter  is  dated  i3th  of  July, 
1709.  Several  different  copies  of  it  are  extant, 
which  are  all  condemned  as  mere  fabrications, 
but  of  all  those  which  I  have  seen  there  is  not 
one  which  does  not  display  pride,  and  which 
was  not  rather  in  accordance  with  his  courage 
than  with  his  situation. 

The  Sultan  did  not  reply  till  towards  the 
end  of  September.  The  pride  of  the  Ottoman 
Porte  made  Charles  feel  the  gulf  that  it  con 
sidered  existed  between  the  Turkish  Emperor 
and  a  Christian  fugitive  and  conquered  King 
of  part  of  Scandinavia. 

Charles  was,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  treated  as 


History  of  Charles  XII     189 

an  honourable  prisoner.  But  he  formed  the 
design  of  turning-  the  Ottoman  arms  against  his 
enemies ;  he  believed  he  could  subdue  Poland 
again,  and  reduce  Russia  to  submission ;  he 
sent  an  envoy  to  Constantinople,  but  his  best 
helper  in  his  great  project  was  Poniatowski, 
who  went  to  Constantinople  unofficially,  and 
soon  made  himself  indispensable  to  the  King, 
agreeable  to  the  Porte,  and  dangerous  to  the 
grand  vizirs  themselves. 

One  of  those  who  seconded  his  designs  most 
cleverly  was  a  Portuguese  doctor,  Fonseca, 
living  at  Constantinople,  a  learned  and  able 
man,  who  had  knowledge  of  men  as  well  as 
of  his  own  art,  and  whose  profession  gave  him 
access  to  the  Court,  and  often  intimacy  with 
the  vizirs.  I  knew  him  well  at  Paris,  and  he 
confirmed  all  the  details  which  I  am  going  to 
relate.  Count  Poniatowski  told  me  himself 
that  he  was  clever  enough  to  get  letters  through 
to  the  Sultana  Valida,  mother  of  the  reigning 
Emperor,  who  had  been  at  one  time  ill-used 
by  her  son,  but  was  now  beginning  to  recover 
her  influence  in  the  seraglio.  A  Jewess,  who 
was  often  with  the  princess,  was  perpetually 
talking  of  the  King  of  Sweden's  exploits,  and 
charmed  her  by  reciting  them.  The  Sultana, 
by  a  secret  inclination  which  most  women  feel 
for  extraordinary  men,  even  without  having 
ever  seen  them,  took  the  King's  part  openly 
in  the  seraglio  and  called  him  "her  lion." 
"When  will  you,"  she  said  sometimes  to  the 


i go     History  of  Charles  XII 

Sultan  her  son,  "help  my  lion  to  devour  this 
Czar?"  She  even  went  beyond  the  strict  rules 
of  the  seraglio  so  far  as  to  write  several  letters 
with  her  own  hand  to  Count  Poniatowski,  who 
still  possesses  them. 

However,  the  King  was  taken  to  Bender 
with  pomp,  across  the  desert  formerly  called 
the  desert  of  Getae.  The  Turks  took  care  that 
his  journey  should  be  made  as  agreeable  as 
possible;  many  Poles,  Swedes  and  Cossacks, 
who  had  escaped  from  the  Russians,  came  from 
different  directions  to  increase  his  train.  When 
he  arrived  at  Bender  he  had  1,800  men  with 
him,  all  fed  and  lodged,  they  and  their  horses, 
at  the  expense  of  the  Grand  Seignior. 

The  King  chose  to  encamp  near  Bender 
rather  than  in  the  town.  The  Serasquier, 
Jussuf,  had  a  magnificent  tent  pitched  for  him, 
and  also  furnished  all  his  suite  with  tents; 
some  time  after  the  King  built  a  house  on  this 
spot,  and  his  officers  followed  his  example. 
The  soldiers,  too,  raised  barracks,  so  that  the 
camp  became  gradually  a  little  town. 

The  King  was  not  yet  cured  of  his  wound, 
and  had  to  have  a  decayed  bone  removed  from 
his  leg,  but  as  soon  as  he  could  mount  a  horse 
he  renewed  his  usual  exercises,  rising  at  sun 
rise,  tiring  out  three  horses  a  day,  and  making 
his  soldiers  drill.  His  only  amusement  was  an 
occasional  game  of  chess.  If  details  are  / 
typical  of  character,  it  may  be  remarked  that 
he  always  brought  out  his  king  in  the  game;  ! 


History  of  Charles  XII     191 

he  used  him  more  than  his  other  pieces,  and  so 
always  lost  the  game. 

At  Bender  he  found  plenty  of  everything 
about  him,  rare  good  fortune  for  a  conquered 
and  fugitive  king ;  for  besides  more  than 
enough  provisions  and  the  500  crowns  a  day 
he  got  from  the  Ottoman  generosity,  he  got 
money  also  from  France,  and  borrowed  of  the 
Constantinople  merchants.  Part  of  this  money 
was  used  to  carry  on  the  intrigues  in  the 
seraglio,  in  buying  the  vizirs  or  procuring 
their  downfall ;  the  rest  he  distributed  profusely 
among  his  officers  and  the  janissaries  who 
guarded  him  at  Bender. 

Grothusen,  his  favourite  and  treasurer,  dis 
pensed  these  bounties ;  he  was  a  man  who, 
contrary  to  the  custom  of  a  man  of  his  station, 
was  as  eager  to  give  as  his  master.  One  day 
he  brought  him  an  account  of  60,000  crowns 
in  two  lines,  "  10,000  given  to  the  Swedes  and 
janissaries,  and  the  rest  eaten  up  by  me." 
"This,"  said  the  King,  "is  the  kind  of 
balance-sheet  that  I  like ;  Mullern  makes  me 
read  whole  pages  for  the  sum  of  10,000  francs, 
I  like  Grothusen 's  laconic  style  much  better." 
One  of  his  old  officers,  thought  to  be  slightly 
covetous,  complained  to  the  King  that  he  gave 
everything  to  Grothusen.  "  I  give  money," 
answered  the  King,  "  to  none  but  those  who 
know  how  to  make  use  of  it. "  This  generosity 
often  reduced  him  to  such  straits  that  he  had 
nothing  to  give.  Better  economy  in  his 


192     History  of  Charles  XII 

liberality  would  have  been  more  to  his  advan 
tage  and  no  less  honourable,  but  it  was  the 
Prince's  failing  to  carry  all  the  virtues  to 
excess. 

Many  strangers  hurried  from  Constantinople 
to  see  him.  The  Turks  and  the  neighbouring 
Tartars  came  in  crowds;  all  honoured  and 
admired  him.  His  rigid  abstinence  from  wine, 
and  his  regularity  in  attending  public  prayers 
twice  a  day,  spread  the  report  that  he  was  a 
true  Mussulman.  They  burned  to  march  with 
him  to  the  conquest  of  Russia. 

During  this  life  of  leisure  at  Bender,  which 
was  longer  than  he  had  expected,  he  developed 
unconsciously  a  great  taste  for  books.  Baron 
Fabricius,  nobleman  of  the  duchy  of  Holstein, 
an  agreeable  youth  who  had  the  gaiety  and 
the  ready  wit  which  appeals  to  princes,  induced 
him  to  read.  He  had  been  sent  to  him  as 
envoy  from  the  Duke  of  Holstein,  to  protect 
the  interests  of  the  latter,  and  succeeded  by 
the  amiability  of  his  manner. 

He  had  read  all  the  French  authors,  and 
persuaded  the  King  to  read  the  tragedies  of 
Corneille,  and  of  Racine,  and  the  works  of 
Despreaux;  the  King  did  not  at  all  enjoy  the 
latter's  satires,  which  are  by  no  means  his  best 
performances,  but  he  appreciated  his  other 
writings,  and  when  he  read  the  passage  in  the 
eighth  satire,  where  he  calls  Alexander  a 
"  frantic  madman,"  he  tore  out  the  leaf. 

Of    all    the    French    tragedies    Mithradates 


History  of  Charles  XII     193 

pleased  him  most,  because  the  condition  of  the 
King,  conquered  and  breathing  forth  ven 
geance,  was  like  his  own.  He  pointed  out  to 
M.  Fabricius  the  passages  that  struck  him,  but 
he  would  read  nothing  aloud,  nor  venture  on 
a  word  of  French.  Even  afterwards,  when  he 
met  M.  Desaleurs,  the  French  ambassador 
to  the  Porte,  a  person  of  distinction,  who 
only  knew  his  mother-tongue,  he  answered  him 
in  Latin,  and  when  the  ambassador  protested 
that  he  did  not  understand  a  word  of  that 
language  he  called  for  an  interpreter,  rather 
than  express  himself  in  French.  Such  were  the 
occupations  of  Charles  at  Bender,  where  he 
was  waiting  till  a  Turkish  army  should  come 
to  his  assistance. 

His  ambassador  presented  memoirs  in  his 
name  to  the  Grand  Vizir,  Poniatowski,  and 
supported  them  with  his  readily-acquired  pres 
tige.  The  intrigue  succeeded  entirely ;  he  wore 
only  Turkish  dress,  and  he  insinuated  himself 
everywhere ;  the  Grand  Seignior  had  him  pre 
sented  with  a  purse  containing  1,000  ducats, 
and  the  Grand  Vizir  said  to  him,  "  I  will  take 
your  King  with  one  hand,  and  a  sword  in  the 
other,  and  I  will  lead  him  to  Moscow  at  the 
head  of  200,000  men."  But  the  first  minister 
soon  changed  his  mind.  The  King  could  only 
treat,  while  the  Czar  could  pay;  he  did  pay, 
and  it  was  the  money  that  he  gave  that  Charles 
used ;  the  military  chest  taken  at  Pultawa  pro 
vided  new  arms  against  the  vanquished.  No 


194     History  of  Charles  XII 

more  mention  was  made  of  making  war  on 
Russia.  The  Czar's  influence  was  all-powerful 
at  the  Porte;  they  granted  honours  and  privi 
leges  to  his  ambassador  at  Constantinople  such 
as  had  never  been  enjoyed  by  a  previous  envoy ; 
he  was  allowed  to  have  a  seraglio,  that  is,  a 
palace  in  the  quarters  of  the  Franks,  and  to 
converse  with  foreign  ministers.  The  Czar 
even  felt  strong  enough  to  demand  that  Ma- 
zeppa  should  be  handed  over  to  him,  just  as 
Charles  had  demanded  Patkul.  Chourlouli-Ali- 
Pasha  now  found  it  impossible  to  refuse  any 
thing  to  a  Prince  who  made  demands  with 
millions  behind  him.  Thus  the  same  Grand 
Vizir  who  had  solemnly  promised  to  take  the 
King  of  Sweden  to  Russia  with  200,000  men, 
had  the  impudence  to  propose  to  him  that  he 
should  consent  to  the  betrayal  of  Mazeppa. 
Charles  was  enraged  at  the  request.  It  is 
hard  to  say  how  far  the  Vizir  would  have 
carried  the  matter  had  not  Mazeppa,  who  was 
then  seventy  years  old,  died  at  this  juncture. 

The  King's  grief  and  resentment  increased 
when  he  heard  that  Tolstoi,  who  had  become 
ambassador  from  the  Czar  to  the  Porte,  was 
served  in  public  by  the  Swedes  who  had  been 
enslaved  at  Pultawa,  and  that  these  brave  men 
were  daily  sold  in  the  market-place  at  Con 
stantinople.  Besides,  the  Russian  ambassador 
remarked  aloud  that  the  Mussulman  troops  at 
Bender  were  there  rather  as  a  guard  to  the 
King  than  for  his  honour. 


History  of  Charles  XII     195 

Charles,  abandoned  by  the  Grand  Vizir,  and 
conquered  by  the  Czar's  money  in  Turkey,  as 
he  had  been  by  his  arms  in  Ukrania,  found  him 
self  deluded,  scorned  by  the  Porte,  and  a  kind  of 
prisoner   among-    the    Tartars.       His    followers 
began  to  despair.     He  alone  remained  firm  and 
did    not   show   dejection    even   for   a   moment. 
He  thought  that  the  Sultan  was  ignorant  of  the 
intrigues  of  his  Grand  Vizir;  he  determined  to 
inform   him,    and   Poniatowski   undertook   this 
bold  task.      Every  Friday  the  Grand   Seignior 
went  to  the  mosque,  surrounded  by  Solacks,  a 
kind  of  guard,  whose  turbans  were  so  high  that 
they  hid  the  Sultan  from  the  people.     Any  one 
who  had  a  petition  to  present  to  the  Sultan, 
must  mingle  with  these  guards,  and  hold  the 
petition  up  in  the  air.     Sometimes  the  Sultan 
deigned   to   take   it   himself,    but  generally   he 
bade  an  aga  take  charge  of  it,  and  afterwards, 
on  his  return  from  the  mosque,  had  the  petitions 
laid  before  him.     There  was  no  fear  that  any 
one    would    importune    him    with    unnecessary 
petitions,    or    petitions    about    trifling    affairs, 
for  at  Constantinople  they  write  less  in  a  year 
than  at  Paris  in  a  day.     Much  less  dare  any 
one  present  petitions  against  the  ministers,  to 
whom  the  Sultan  hands  them  generally  without 
reading  them.     But  Poniatowski  had  no  other 
means  of  conveying  the  King  of  Sweden's  com 
plaints  to  the  Grand  Seignior.     He  drew  up  a 
strong  indictment  of  the  Grand  Vizir.     M.  de 
Feriol,  then  Turkish  ambassador  from  France, 


196     History  of  Charles  XII 

got  it  translated  into  Turkish.  A  Greek  was 
hired  to  present  it;  he  mingled  himself  with 
the  King's  guards,  and  held  up  the  paper  so 
high,  and  so  persistently,  that  the  Sultan  saw 
it  and  took  it  himself. 

Some  days  after,  the  Sultan  sent  the  King 
of  Sweden,  as  the  only  answer  to  his  com 
plaints,  twenty-five  Arabian  horses,  one  of 
which  had  carried  his  Highness,  and  was 
covered  with  a  saddle  enriched  with  precious 
stones,  and  with  massive  gold  stirrups.  With 
this  present  he  sent  a  polite  letter,  couched  in 
general  terms,  and  such  as  seemed  to  show 
that  the  Vizir  had  acted  with  the  Sultan's 
orders.  Chourlouli,  too,  who  knew  how  to 
dissemble,  sent  five  fine  horses  to  the  King. 

Charles  said  haughtily  to  the  man  who 
brought  them,  "  Return  to  your  master  and 
say  that  I  do  not  receive  presents  from  my 
enemies."  M.  Poniatowski,  who  had  already 
had  the  courage  to  get  a  petition  against  the 
Grand  Vizir  presented,  had  formed  the  bold 
plan  of  having  him  deposed;  he  knew  that  the 
Vizir  was  no  favourite  of  the  Sultan's  mother, 
and  that  he  was  hated  both  by  Kislar-aga,  the 
chief  of  the  black  eunuchs,  and  by  the  aga  of 
the  janissaries.  So  he  urged  them  all  three  to 
speak  against  him.  It  was  a  strange  sight 
to  see  a  Christian,  a  Pole,  an  unaccredited 
agent  of  the  King  of  Sweden  who  had  refuged 
with  the  Turks,  caballing  almost  openly  at  the 
Porte,  against  a  Viceroy  of  the  Ottoman 


History  of  Charles  XII     197 

Empire,  and  one  who  was,  too,  both  a  useful 
minister  and  a  favourite  of  his  master. 

Poniatowski    would    never    have    succeeded, 
and  the  mere  notion  of  his  design  would  have 
cost  him  his  life,  had  not  a  stronger  power  than 
those  on  his   side  given  the  last  blow   to  the 
Grand  Vizir  Chourlouli's  fortune.     The  Sultan 
had  a  young  favourite,  who  has  since  governed 
the  Ottoman  Empire  and  been  killed  in   Hun 
gary   in    1716,    at   the   battle   of   Petervaradin, 
gained   over  the   Turks   by   Prince   Eugene  of 
Savoy.     His  name  was  Coumourgi-Ali-Pasha ; 
his  birth  much  the  same  as  that  of  Chourlouli ; 
he  was  the  son  of  a  coal-heaver — as  the  name 
signified — for    Coumir    is    Turkish    for    coal. 
The  Emperor  Achmet  II,  uncle  of  Achmet  III, 
meeting  Coumourgi  as  a  child  in  a  wood  near 
Adrianople,  was  so  struck  by  his  great  beauty 
that  he  had  him  taken  to  the  seraglio.     Mus- 
tapha,    Mahomet's    eldest    son    and    successor, 
was  taken  with  him,  and  Achmet  III  made  him 
his  favourite;   he  was  then  only  selic-tar-aga, 
sword-bearer  to  the  crown.     His  extreme  youth 
did   not   allow   him   to  stand   for  the  office   of 
Grand   Vizir,    but   his   ambition   was   to  make 
it.       The    Swedish    faction    could    never    gain 
this  favourite ;  he  was  never  a  friend  of  King 
Charles,    or    of    any    other    Christian    prince, 
or    their    ministers,    but    on    this    occasion    he 
was    unconsciously    of    service    to    the    King. 
He   united   with   the   Sultana   Valida,   and   the 
leading   officer   of   the    Porte,    to   bring   about 


1 98     History  of  Charles  XII 

the  fall  of  Chourlouli,  whom  they  all  hated. 
This  old  minister,  who  had  served  his  master 
long-  and  well,  was  the  victim  of  the  caprice 
of  a  boy  and  the  intrigues  of  a  stranger. 
He  was  deprived  of  his  dignity  and  his 
wealth,  his  wife,  daughter  of  the  last  Sul 
tan,  taken  from  him,  and  he  himself  banished 
to  Cassa  in  Crimean-Tartary.  The  bul,  i.  e. 
the  seal  of  the  Empire,  was  given  to  Numan 
Couprougli,  grandson  of  the  great  Couprougli 
who  took  Candia.  This  new  Vizir  was  what 
misinformed  Christians  hardly  believe  a  Turk 
can  be,  a  man  of  incorruptible  virtue  and  a 
scrupulous  observer  of  the  law,  which  he 
often  set  up  in  opposition  to  the  will  of  the 
Sultan. 

He  would  not  hear  of  a  war  against  Russia, 
which  he  thought  unjust  and  unnecessary,  but 
the  same  respect  for  the  law  which  prevented 
him  from  waging  war  against  the  Czar,  made 
him  punctilious  in  the  duty  of  hospitality  to 
the  King  of  Sweden.  "The  law,"  he  said 
to  his  master,  "  forbids  you  to  attack  the 
Czar,  who  has  done  you  no  harm,  but  it  com 
mands  you  to  help  the  King  of  Sweden,  who 
is  an  unfortunate  Prince  in  your  dominions." 

He  sent  his  Majesty  800  purses  (a  purse 
being  worth  500  crowns),  and  advised  him  to 
return  peaceably  into  his  own  country,  through 
the  territories  of  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  or 
in  some  French  vessels  that  were  then  lying  in 
the  harbour  at  Constantinople,  and  which  M. 


History  of  Charles  XII      199 

de  Feriol,  the  French  ambassador,  offered  to 
Charles  to  take  him  to  Marseilles.  Count 
Poniatowski  continued  negotiations  with  the 
minister,  and  gained  in  the  negotiations  an 
ascendancy  of .  which  Russian  gold  could  no 
longer  deprive  him  in  dealing  with  an  incor 
ruptible  minister.  The  Russian  faction  thought 
that  the  best  plan  was  to  poison  such  a  danger 
ous  diplomat.  They  bribed  one  of  his  servants, 
who  was  to  give  him  poison  in  his  coffee ;  the 
crime  was  discovered  in  time;  they  found  the 
poison  in  a  little  vial  which  they  took  to  the 
Grand  Seignior;  the  poisoner  was  judged  in 
full  divan,  and  condemned  to  the  galleys,  be 
cause,  by  Turkish  law,  crimes  that  have  failed 
of  execution  are  never  punished  by  death. 
\  Charles,  still  persuaded  that  sooner  or  later 
he"  would  succeed  in  making  the  Turkish 
Empire  declare  against  that  of  Russia,  would 
agree  to  none  of  the  proposals  for  his  return 
in  peace  to  his  own  dominions ;  he  persisted  in 
pointing  out  to  the  Turks  as  dangerous  the 
very  Czar  whom  he  had  long  despised;  his 
emissaries  kept  up  their,  insinuations  that  Peter 
the  Great  was  aiming  at  gaining  control  of 
shipping  in  the  Black  Sea;  that,  after  having 
beaten  the  Cossacks,  he  had  designs  on  the 
Crimea.  Sometimes  his  representations  roused 
the  Porte,  sometimes  the  Russian  minister 
nullified  their  effect.  ' 

While  he  was  thus 'letting  his  fate  depend  on 
the  caprice  of  a  vizir,  and  was  forced  to  put 


200     History  of  Charles  XII 

up  with  the  affronts  as  well  as  accept  the 
favours  of  a  foreign  power — while  he  was 
presenting-  petitions  to  the  Sultan,  and  living 
on  hospitality  in  a  desert — his  enemies  roused 
themselves  to  attack  his  kingdom. 

The  battle  of  Pultawa  was  at  once  the  signal 
for  a  revolution  in  Poland.  King  Augustus 
returned  thither,  protesting  against  his  abdica 
tion  and  the  Peace  of  Altranstadt,  and  openly 
accusing  Charles,  whom  he  now  no  longer 
feared,  of  robbery  and  cruelty.  He  imprisoned 
Finsten  and  Imof,  his  plenipotentiaries,  who 
had  signed  the  abdication,  as  if  in  so  doing 
they  had  exceeded  their  orders  and  betrayed 
their  master.  His  Saxon  troops,  which  had 
been  the  excuse  for  his  dethronement,  brought 
him  back  to  Warsaw  with  most  of  the  Polish 
counts  who  had  formerly  sworn  fidelity  to  him, 
had  afterwards  done  the  same  to  Stanislas,  and 
were  about  to  renew  their  oath  to  Augustus. 
Siniawski  himself  joined  his  party,  forgetting 
the  idea  he  had  had  of  making  himself  King, 
and  was  content  as  Grand  General  of  the 
crown.  Fleming,  his  first  minister,  who  had 
been  obliged  to  leave  Saxony  for  a  time,  for 
fear  of  being  given  up  as  Patkul  had  been, 
managed  matters  at  that  time  so  as  to  bring 
over  a  great  part  of  the  Polish  nobility  to  his  . 
master. 

The  Pope  released  his  people  from  the  oath 
of  allegiance  they  had  sworn  to  Stanislas. 
This  step  of  the  Holy  Father,  taken  at  the  right 


History  of  Charles  XII     201 

time,  and  supported  by  Augustus's  forces,  had 
no  small  weight  in  establishing  the  interests  of 
the  Court  of  Rome  in  Poland,  where  they  then 
had  no  wish  to  dispute  with  the  sovereign 
pontiff  the  chimerical  right  of  meddling  with 
the  temporalities  of  kings. 

Every  one  was  ready  to  submit  to  Augus 
tus's  authority  again,  and  received  without  the 
least  opposition  a  useless  absolution  which  the 
Nuncio  did  not  fail  to  represent  as  necessary. 
•  Charles's  power  and  the  greatness  of  Sweden 
were  now  drawing  to  their  last  phase.  For 
some  time  more  than  ten  crowned  heads  had 
viewed  the  extension  of  Sweden  beyond  her 
natural  boundaries,  to  the  other  side  of  the 
Baltic,  and  from  the  Duna  to  the  Elbe,  with 
fear  and  envy.  Charles's  fall  and  absence 
awakened  the  interests  and  jealousy  of  all  these 
princes,  after  they  had  lain  dormant  for  a  long 
time  through  treaties  and  inability  to  break 
them. 

The  Czar,  who  was  more  powerful  than 
them  all  together,  making  the  best  use  of  his 
victory,  took  Wibourg,  and  all  Carelia,  inun 
dated  Finland  with  troops,  besieged  Riga,  and 
sent  a  corps  into  Poland  to  help  Augustus  to 
recover  the  throne.  The  Emperor  was  then 
what  Charles  had  once  been — the  arbiter  of 
Poland  and  the  North ;  but  he  consulted  only 
his  own  interests,  whereas  Charles's  ambitions 
were  always  of  glory  or  vengeance.  The 
Swedish  monarch  had  helped  his  friends,  and 


202     History  of  Charles  XII 

overcome  his  enemies,  without  exacting  the 
smallest  reward  for  his  victories ;  but  the  Czar, 
rather  a  prince  than  a  hero,  would  not  help 
the  King  of  Poland  except  on  condition  that 
Livonia  should  be  given  up  to  him,  and  that 
this  province,  for  the  sake  of  which  Augustus 
had  begun  war,  should  belong  to  the  Russians 
for  ever. 

The  King  of  Denmark,  forgetting  the  treaty 
of  Travendal  as  Augustus  had  that  of  Altran- 
stadt,  had  from  that  time  thoughts  of  making 
himself  master  of  the  Duchies  of  Holstein  and 
Bremen,  to  which  he  renewed  his  claim.  The 
King  of  Prussia  had  long-standing  claims  to 
Swedish  Pomerania  which  he  wished  to  revive ; 
the  Duke  of  Mecklenburg  was  provoked  at  see 
ing  Sweden  still  in  possession  of  Wismar,  the 
finest  city  in  his  duchy.  This  Prince  had 
married  the  Emperor  of  Russia's  niece,  and  his 
uncle  was  only  looking  for  an  excuse  to  estab 
lish  himself  in  Germany,  after  the  example  of 
the  Swedes.  George,  Elector  of  Hanover,  also 
wanted  to  enrich  himself  from  the  spoiling  of 
Charles.  This  Bishop  of  Munster,  too,  would 
have  been  glad  to  have  made  some  claims  had 
he  possessed  the  means  to  do  so. 

There  were  about  12,000  or  13,000  Swedes 
defending  Pomerania,  and  the  other  districts 
which  Charles  held  in  Germany ;  here  was  the 
seat  of  war.  But  this  storm  alarmed  the 
Emperor  and  his  allies.  It  is  a  law  of  the 
Empire  that  whoever  invades  one  of  the  pro- 


History  of  Charles  XII     203 

vinces  should  be  considered  an  enemy  to  the 
whole  Germanic  body. 

But  there  was  still  greater  difficulty  involved, 
for  all  these  princes,  except  the  Czar,  were 
then  leagued  against  Louis  XIV,  whose  power 
had  for  some  time  been  as  formidable  to  the 
Empire  as  that  of  Charles  himself. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  century  Germany 
found  herself  hard  pressed  between  the  French 
on  the  south  and  the  Swedes  on  the  north. 
The  French  had  crossed  the  Danube,  and  the 
Swedes  the  Oder;  if  their  victorious  forces  had 
united,  the  Empire  would  have  been  lost.  But 
the  same  fatality  that  had  ruined  Sweden  had 
also  humbled  France ;  yet  some  resources  still 
remained  to  Sweden,  and  Louis  carried  on  the 
war  with  vigour,  though  unsuccessfully.  If 
Pomerania  and  the  Duchy  of  Bremen  became 
the  seat  of  war,  it  was  to  be  feared  that  the 
Empire  would  suffer,  and  being  weakened  on 
that  side  would  be  the  less  able  to  withstand 
Louis.  To  prevent  this,  the  Princes  of  Ger 
many,  Queen  Anne  of  England,  and  the  States 
of  Holland,  concluded  at  the  Hague,  in  1709, 
one  of  the'  most  extraordinary  treaties  ever 
signed. 

It  was  stipulated  by  these  powers  that  the 
seat  of  the  war  should  not  be  in  Pomerania,* 
nor  any  other  German  State,  but  that  Charles 
might  be  attacked  by  his  enemies  anywhere 
else.  The  King  of  Poland  and  the  Czar  them 
selves  agreed  to  this  treaty,  and  had  a  clause 


204     History  of  Charles  XII 

inserted  which  was  as  strange  as  the  treaty 
itself,  to  the  effect  that  the  12,000  Swedes  in 
Pomerania  should  not  leave  it  to  defend  their 
other  provinces. 

To  safeguard  the  treaty  it  was  proposed  to 
raise  an  army,  which  was  to  encamp  on  the 
Oder,  to  maintain  this  imaginary  neutrality. 
It  was  an  unheard-of  thing,  to  levy  an  army  to 
prevent  war  !  Those  who  were  paying  the  forces 
were,  for  the  most  part,  very  much  concerned 
to  bring  about  the  war  they  were  pretending  to 
prevent.  The  army  was,  by  the  treaty,  to 
consist  of  the  troops  of  the  Emperor,  the  King 
of  Prussia,  the  Elector  of  Hanover,  the  Land 
grave  of  Hesse,  and  the  Bishop  of  Munster. 

This  project  was,  as  might  be  expected,  not 
carried  through.  The  princes  who  were  to 
furnish  their  quota  for  the  army  contributed 
nothing ;  not  two  regiments  were  formed. 
There  was  much  talk  of  neutrality,  but  no  one 
observed  it ;  and  all  the  Northern  princes  who 
had  any  controversy  with  the  King  of  Sweden 
were  left  at  full  liberty  to  dispute  who  should 
have  his  spoils. 

At  this  point  the  Czar,  having  stationed  his 
forces  in  Lithuania  and  left  orders  for  carrying 
ton  the  siege  of  Riga,  returned  to  Moscow,  to 
show  his  people  a  sight  as  new  as  anything  he 
had  yet  done  in  his  kingdom.  It  was  a 
triumph  little  inferior  to  that  of  the  ancient 
Romans.  He  made  his  entry  into  Moscow 
under  seven  triumphal  arches,  erected  in  the 


History  of  Charles  XII     205 

streets,  and  adorned  with  all  that  could  be 
produced  in  that  climate,  and  that  the  flourish 
ing  trade  which  his  energy  had  nourished  could 
supply.  The  procession  began  with  a  regi 
ment  of  guards,  followed  by  the  artillery  taken 
from  the  Swedes  at  Lesnow  and  Pultawa,  each 
piece  being  drawn  by  eight  horses  with  scarlet 
trappings  hanging  to  the  ground.  Then  came 
the  standards,  kettle-drums,  and  the  colours 
won  at  these  two  battles,  and  carried  by  the 
officers  who  had  won  them ;  all  the  spoils  were 
followed  by  the  Czar's  picked  troops.  After 
they  had  filed  past,  the  litter  of  Charles  XII, 
in  a  chariot  made  for  the  purpose,  appeared 
as  it  had  been  found  on  the  battle-field,  all 
shattered  by  cannon-shot.  Behind  this  litter 
marched  the  prisoners  two  by  two,  and  among 
them  Count  Piper,  Prime  Minister  of  Sweden, 
the  famous  Marshal  Renschild,  Count  Leven- 
haupt,  Generals  Slipenbek,  Hamilton,  and 
Stackelburg,  and  all  the  officers  and  soldiers 
who  were  later  scattered  through  Russia. 
Immediately  behind  them  came  the  Czar,  rid 
ing  the  same  horse  he  had  used  at  Pultawa; 
just  behind  him  were  the  generals  who  had 
their  share  in  the  success  of  this  battle;  after 
them  came  another  regiment  of  guards,  and 
the  wagons  loaded  with  Swedish  ammunition 
brought  up  the  rear. 

This  procession  was  accompanied  by  the 
ringing  of  all  the  bells  in  Moscow,  by  the 
sound  of  drums,  kettle-drums  and  trumpets, 


206     History  of  Charles  XII 

and  an  infinite  number  of  musical  instru 
ments,  echoing  each  other.  Volleys  were  dis 
charged  from  200  cannon,  to  the  acclamations 
of  5,000,000  men,  who  at  every  halt  of  the 
Czar  in  his  entry  cried,  "  God  save  the  Emperor 
our  father  !" 

This     imposing     procession     increased     the 

C  people's   veneration   for  his   person,    and   gave 

him  greater  prestige  in  their  eyes  than  all  the 
-\)good  he  had  really  done  them.  In  the  mean 
time  he  continued  the  blockade  of  Riga,  and 
the  generals  subdued  the  rest  of  Livonia  and 
part  of  Finland.  At  the  same  time  the  King 
of  Denmark  came  with  his  entire  fleet  to 
attack  Sweden,  where  he  landed  with  1,700 
men,  whom  he  left  under  the  command  of 
Count  Reventlau. 

At  that  time  Sweden  was  governed  by  a 
regency,  composed  of  some  Senators  appointed 
by  the  King  at  his  departure  from  Sweden. 
The  Senatorial  body,  which  regarded  the  right 
of  governing  as  their  prerogative,  were  jealous 
of  the  regency.  The  State  suffered  from  these 
divisions,  but  directly  they  received  news  at 
Stockholm  after  Pultawa,  that  the  King  was 
at  Bender  in  the  hands  of  the  Turks  and  Tar 
tars,  and  that  the  Danes  had  made  an  attack 
on  Schoner  and  had  taken  the  town  of  Elsing- 
burg,  all  jealousy  disappeared,  and  they  con 
centrated  on  saving  Sweden.  There  were  now 
very  few  regulars  left,  for  though  Charles  had 
always  made  his  great  expeditions  with  small 


History  of  Charles  XII     207 

armies,  yet  his  innumerable  battles  for  nine 
years,  the  continual  necessity  for  recruits,  the 
maintenance  of  his  garrisons,  and  the  standing 
army  he  was  obliged  to  maintain  in  Finland, 
Livonia,  Pomerania,  Bremen,  and  Verden, 
had  cost  Sweden,  during  the  course  of  the  war, 
more  than  250,000  men;  there  were  not  as 
many  as  8,000  of  the  veterans  who,  with  raw 
forces,  were  now  Sweden's  only  resource. 

The  nation  is  born  with  a  passion  for  war, 
and  every  people  unconsciously  imitate  their 
King.  Nothing  was  discussed  from  one  end 
of  the  country  to  the  other  but  the  great  ex 
ploits  of  Charles  and  his  generals,  and  of  the 
old  regiment  which  fought  under  them  at 
Narva,  Duna,  Crassau,  Pultask,  and  Hollosin. 
Thus  the  humblest  of  the  Swedes  were  filled 
with  a  spirit  of  emulation  and  thirst  for  glory. 
Besides  this,  they  loved  their  King,  were  sorry 
for  him,  and  hated  the  Danes  thoroughly.  In 
many  other  countries  the  peasants  are  slaves 
or  are  treated  as  such ;  here  they  form  part  of 
the  body  politic,  consider  themselves  citizens, 
and  think  worthy  thoughts.  So  that  in  a 
short  time  these  forces  became  the  best  in  the 
North. 

By  order  of  the  regency,  General  Steinbock 
put  himself  at  the  head  of  8,000  veteran  troops 
and  12,000  recruits,  to  pursue  the  Danes,  who 
were  ravaging  all  the  country  round  Elsing- 
burg,  and  had  already  put  some  places  far 
inland  under  contribution. 


2o8     History  of  Charles  XII 

There  was  neither  time  nor  money  to  get 
uniforms  for  the  soldiers ;  most  of  the  country 
labourers  came  dressed  in  their  linen  smocks, 
with  pistols  tied  to  their  girdles  by  cords. 
Steinbock,  at  the  head  of  this  extraordinary 
army,  came  up  with  the  Danes  three  leagues 
from  Elsingburg,  on  the  loth  March,  1710. 
He  intended  to  rest  his  troops  some  days,  to 
entrench,  and  to  give  his  raw  recruits  time 
to  get  accustomed  to  the  enemy ;  but  the 
peasants  clamoured  to  fight  directly  they 
arrived. 

Some  officers  who  were  there  told  me  that 
they  saw  them  almost  all  foaming  with  rage,  so 
great  is  the  Swede's  hatred  of  the  Dane.  Stein- 
bock  took  advantage  of  this  disposition,  which 
is  almost  as  effective  in  war  as  military  discip 
line.  The  Danes  were  attacked,  and  the 
strange  sight  was  seen — of  which  there  are, 
perhaps,  no  two  other  instances — of  raw  forces 
equalling  in  bravery  a  veteran  corps  at  the  first 
attack.  Two  regiments  of  these  undisciplined 
peasants  cut  the  Danish  army  to  pieces,  and 
left  only  ten  survivors. 

The  Danes,  entirely  routed,  retreated  under 
the  cannon  of  Elsingburg.  The  passage  from 
Sweden  to  Zeeland  is  so  short  that  the  King 
of  Denmark  heard  of  the  defeat  of  his  army 
in  Sweden  the  same  day  at  Copenhagen,  and 
sent  his  fleet  to  bring  off  the  remnant  of  his 
army.  The  Danes  hastily  left  Sweden  five  days 
after  the  battle,  but,  being  unable  to  bring 


History  of  Charles  XII     209 

away  their  horses,  and  not  wishing  to  leave 
them  to  the  enemy,  they  killed  them  all  and  fired 
their  provisions,  burning-  their  corn  and  bag 
gage,  and  leaving  4,000  wounded  in  Elsing- 
burg.  The  majority  of  these  died  from  the 
infection  from  the  large  number  of  dead  horses, 
and  from  lack  of  food,  which  even  their  own 
countrymen  deprived  them  of,  lest  they  should 
fall  into  Swedish  hands. 

At  the  same  time  the  peasants  of  Delecarlia, 
having  heard  in  the  depths  of  their  forests  that 
the  King  was  prisoner  in  Turkey,  sent  a  depu 
tation  to  the  Regency  at  Stockholm,  offering 
to  go,  at  their  own  expense,  to  rescue  their 
master  from  the  enemy's  hands  with  a  force  of 
20,000  men.  This  proposal,  useless  as  it  was, 
was  heard  with  pleasure,  because  it  proved  the 
courage  and  loyalty  of  the  proposers,  though 
it  was  rejected ;  and  they  gave  the  King  an 
account  of  it,  when  they  sent  him  word  about 
Elsingburg.  King  Charles  received  this  cheer 
ing  news  in  his  camp  near  Bender,  in  July  1710, 
just  after  another  event  which  confirmed  him 
in  his  hopes. 

The  Grand  Vizir  Couprougli,  who  was  op 
posed  to  his  plans,  was  turned  out  of  office 
after  he  had  been  in  the  ministry  two  months. 
Charles  XII's  little  Court,  and  his  adherents  in 
Poland,  boasted  that  he  made  and  removed 
vizirs,  and  was  governing  Turkey  from  his 
retreat  at  Bender.  But  he  had  no  hand  in  the 
ruin  of  this  favourite. 

p 


2io     History  of  Charles  XII 

The  rigid  justice  of  the  Vizir,  it  was  said, 
was  the  only  cause  of  his  fall;  his  predecessor 
had  been  accustomed  to  pay  the  janissaries,  not 
out  of  the  Imperial  treasury,  but  from  the 
money  he  got  by  extortion.  Couprougli,  on 
the  other  hand,  paid  them  from  the  treasury. 
For  this  Achmet  accused  him  of  putting  the 
subjects'  interest  before  that  of  the  Emperor. 
"  Your  predecessor,  Chourlouli,"  he  said, 
"  managed  to  find  other  ways  of  paying  my 
troops."  The  Grand  Vizir  replied,  "  If  he  had 
the  art  of  enriching  your  Highness  by  theft,  it 
is  an  art  of  which  I  am  proud  to  be  ignorant." 

The  great  secrecy  observed  in  the  seraglio 
rarely  lets  such  stories  leak  out,  but  this  got 
known  at  the  time  of  Couprougli 's  fall.  The 
Vizir's  courage  did  not  cost  him  his  head,  be 
cause  real  goodness  often  forces  even  those 
whom  it  offends  to  respect.  He  had  leave  to 
retire  to  the  island  of  Negropont. 

After  this  the  Sultan  sent  for  Baltagi  Ma 
homet  Pasha  of  Syria,  who  had  been  Grand 
Vizir  before  Chourlouli.  The  Baltagis  of  the 
seraglio,  so  called  from  balta,  meaning  an  axe, 
are  slaves  employed  to  cut  wood  for  the  use  of 
princes  of  the  blood  and  the  Sultana.  This 
Vizir  had  been  baltagi  in  his  youth,  and  had 
always  retained  the  name,  according  to  the  cus 
tom  of  the  Turks,  who  are  not  ashamed  to  bear 
the  name  of  their  first  profession,  their  father, 
or  their  birthplace.  While  Baltagi  was  a  serv 
ant  in  the  seraglio  he  was  fortunate  enough  to 


History  of  Charles  XII     211 

do   Prince   Achmet  some   trifling-   service,   that 
Prince  being  then  a  prisoner  of   State  in   the 
reign  of  his  brother  Mustapha.     Achmet  gave 
one  of  his  female  slaves,  of  whom  he  had  been 
very  fond,  to  Baltagi  Mahomet,   when  he  be 
came  Sultan.     This  woman  made  her  husband 
Grand  Vizir  by  her  intrigues;  another  intrigue 
deposed   him,   while  a  third  made  him   Grand 
Vizir  again.      Baltagi  had  no  sooner  received 
the  seal  of  the  Turkish  empire  than  he  found 
the  party  of  the  King  of  Sweden  dominant  in 
the  seraglio.     The  Sultana  Valida,  the  Sultan's 
favourite,  the  chief  of  the  black  eunuchs,  and 
the  aga  of  the  janissaries,  were  all  in  favour  of 
war  against  the  Czar.     The  Sultan  had  decided 
on   it,    and   the   very   first   order   he   gave   the 
Grand  Vizir  was  to  go  and  attack  the  Russians 
with  200,000  men.     Baltagi  had  never  been  in 
the  field,  but  was  no  idiot,  as  the  Swedes,  out 
of  pure   malice,    have   represented   him   to   be. 
When    he    received    from    the    Sultan    a   sabre 
set    with    precious    stones,    "  Your    Highness 
knows, "he  said,  "  that  I  have  been  brought  up 
to  use  an  axe  and  fell  wood,  and  not  to  wield 
a  sword,  or  to  command  armies.     I  will  do  my 
best  to  serve  you ;  but  if  I  fail,  remember  that  I 
have  begged  you  not  to  lay  it  to  my  charge." 
The  Sultan  assured  him  of  his  favour,  and  the 
Vizir  prepared   to  carry  out  his   orders.      The 
Ottoman  Porte 's  first  step  was  to  imprison  the 
Russian    ambassador    in    the    castle    of    seven 
towers. 


212     History  of  Charles  XII 

It  is  the  custom  of  the  Turks  to  begin  by 
seizing  those  ministers  against  whom  they  de 
clare  war.  Strict  observers  of  hospitality  in 
every  other  respect,  in  this  they  violate  the 
most  sacred  of  international  laws.  They  act 
thus  unfairly  under  the  pretext  of  fairness,  per 
suading  themselves  and  trying  to  persuade 
others  that  they  never  undertake  any  but  a 
just  war,  because  it  is  consecrated  by  the  ap 
probation  of  their  Muphti.  Thus  they  look 
upon  themselves  as  armed  to  chastise  the  viola 
tion  of  treaties  (which  they  often  break  them 
selves),  and  argue  that  the  ambassadors  of 
kings  at  variance  with  them  are  to  be  punished 
as  accomplices  of  their  masters'  treachery. 
Besides  this,  they  affect  a  ridiculous  contempt 
towards  Christian  princes  and  their  ambassa 
dors,  whom  they  regard  as  only  consuls  and 
merchants. 

The  Kan  of  Crimean-Tartary  had  orders  to 
be  ready  with  400,000  Tartars.  This  Prince 
rules  over  Nagai,  Bulziac,  part  of  Circassia 
and  all  the  Crimean  district  called  by  the 
ancients  the  Tauric  Chersonese,  whither  the 
Greeks  carried  their  commerce  and  their  arms, 
building  large  cities  there ;  and  whither  the 
Genoese  afterwards  penetrated,  when  they  were 
masters  of  the  trade  of  Europe. 

In  this  country  there  are  the  ruins  of  Grecian 
cities,  and  some  Genoese  monuments  still  sub 
sisting  in  the  midst  of  desolation  and  savagery. 
The  Kan  is  called  Emperor  by  his  own  subjects, 


History  of  Charles  XII     213 

but  in  spite  of  this  grand  title  he  is  a  mere 
slave  to  the  Porte.  The  fact  that  they  have 
Ottoman  blood  in  their  veins,  and  the  right 
they  have  to  the  Turkish  Empire  on  the  extinc 
tion  of  the  race  of  the  Sultan,  make  their  family 
respected  and  their  persons  formidable  even  to 
the  Sultan  himself :  that  is  why  the  Sultan 
dare  not  destroy  the  race  of  the  Kans  of  Tar- 
tary ;  but  he  hardly  ever  allows  them  to  con 
tinue  on  the  throne  to  an  advanced  age.  The 
neighbouring  pashas  spy  on  their  conduct, 
their  territories  are  surrounded  by  janissaries, 
their  wishes  thwarted  by  the  Grand  Vizir,  and 
their  designs  always  suspected.  If  the  Tartars 
complain  of  the  Kan,  this  is  an  excuse  for  the 
Porte  to  depose  him ;  if  he  is  popular  among 
them  it  is  regarded  as  a  crime,  for  which  he 
will  be  even  more  readily  punished.  Thus  all 
of  them  leave  the  throne  for  exile,  and  finish 
their  days  at  Rhodes,  which  is  generally  both 
their  place  of  exile  and  their  grave. 

The  Tartars,  their  subjects,  are  the  most  dis 
honest  folk  in  the  world ;  yet,  at  the  same  time 
(inconceivable  as  it  seems),  the  most  hospitable. 
They  go  a  fifty  leagues'  journey  to  fall  upon  a 
caravan  and  to  destroy  towns,  but  if  any 
stranger  happens  to  pass  through  their  country, 
he  is  not  only  received  and  lodged  everywhere, 
and  his  expenses  paid,  but  everywhere  the  in 
habitants  strive  for  the  honour  of  having  him 
as  guest. 

The    master    of    the    house,    his    wife    and 


214     History  of  Charles  XII 

daughters  vie  with  one  another  in  his  service. 
Their  ancestors,  the  Scythians,  transmitted  to 
them  this  inviolable  regard  for  hospitality ;  and 
they  still  retain  it,  because  the  scarcity  of 
strangers  in  their  country,  and  the  cheapness 
of  provisions,  makes  this  duty  in  no  way  bur 
densome  to  them.  When  the  Tartars  go  to 
war  with  the  Ottoman  army  they  are  main 
tained  by  the  Sultan,  but  receive  no  other  pay 
but  their  booty;  this  makes  them  more  ardent 
at  pillage  than  at  regular  warfare. 

The  Kan,  bribed  by  the  presents  and  in 
trigues  of  the  King  of  Sweden,  got  permission 
to  have  the  general  rendezvous  of  troops  at 
Bender,  under  the  King's  eye,  that  he  might 
realize  that  the  war  was  being  made  for  him. 
The  new  vizir,  Baltagi,  not  being  bound  in  the 
same  way,  would  not  flatter  a  foreign  prince  so 
far.  He  countermanded  the  order,  and  the 
great  army  was  collected  at  Adrianople. 

The  Turkish  troops  are  not  so  formidable 
now  as  they  were  when  they  conquered  so 
many  kingdoms  in  Asia,  Africa  and  Europe. 
Then  they  triumphed  over  enemies  less  strong 
and  worse  disciplined  than  themselves  by  physi 
cal  strength,  courage  and  the  force  of  numbers. 
But  now  that  Christians  understand  the  art  of 
war  better,  they  seldom  failed  to  beat  the  Turks 
in  a  drawn  battle,  even  when  their  forces  are 
inferior  in  number.  If  the  Ottoman  empire 
has  lately  gained  some  success,  it  is  only  in  a 
contest  with  the  Republic  of  Venice,  reputed 


History  of  Charles  XII     215 

more  wise  than  warlike,  defended  by  strangers, 
and  ill  supported  by  Christian  princes,  who  are 
always  divided  among  themselves. 

The  janissaries  and  spahis  attack  in  disorder, 
and  are  incapable  of  action  under  command,  or 
of  a  rally ;  their  cavalry,  which  should  be  excel 
lent,  considering-  the  good  breed  and  agility  of 
their  horses,  is  unable  to  sustain  the  shock  of 
German  cavalry ;  their  infantry  were  not  yet 
able  to  use  the  fixed  bayonet;  besides  this,  the 
Turks  have  had  no  great  general  since  Cou- 
prougli,  who  conquered  Candia.  A  slave 
brought  up  in  the  idleness  and  the  silence  of  the 
seraglio,  made  a  vizir  through  favouritism, 
and  a  general  against  his  own  inclinations, 
headed  a  raw  army,  without  experience  and 
without  discipline,  against  Russian  troops,  with 
twelve  years'  experience  in  war,  and  proud  of 
having  conquered  the  Swedes. 

The  Czar,  according  to  all  appearances, 
must  have  vanquished  Baltagi,  but  he  made 
the  same  mistake  with  regard  to  the  Turks  as 
the  King  of  Sweden  was  guilty  of  in  his  own 
case ;  that  is,  he  had  too  poor  an  opinion  of  his 
enemy.  Upon  the  news  of  the  Turkish  pre 
parations  he  left  Moscow;  and  having  given 
orders  to  change  the  siege  of  Riga  into  a  block 
ade,  he  drew  up  his  army  of  24,000  men  on 
the  Polish  frontier.  With  this  army  he 
marched  to  Moldavia  and  Wallachia,  formerly 
the  country  of  the  Daci,  but  now  inhabited  by 
Greek  Christians,  tributary  to  the  Sultan. 


216     History  of  Charles  XII 

Moldavia  was  then  governed  by  Prince  Can- 
temir,  a  Greek  by  birth,  who  had  the  talents 
of  the  ancient  Greeks  together  with  a  know 
ledge  of  letters  and  of  arms.  He  was  reputedly 
descended  from  the  famous  Timur,  famous 
under  the  name  of  Tamberlain  :  this  genealogy 
seemed  more  distinguished  than  a  Greek  one. 
They  proved  it  from  the  name  of  the  con 
queror;  Timur,  they  said,  is  like  Temir :  the 
title  Kan,  which  Timur  had  before  his  conquest 
of  Asia,  appears  again  in  the  name  Cantemir  : 
thus  Prince  Cantemir  is  a  descendant  of  Tam 
berlain  ;  that  is  the  sort  of  basis  on  which  most 
genealogies  are  built. 

To  whatever  house  Cantemir  belonged,  he 
owed  all  to  the  Ottoman  Porte.  Scarcely  had 
he  been  invested  with  his  principality  than  he 
betrayed  the  Emperor  his  benefactor  for  the 
Czar,  from  whom  he  had  greater  expectations. 
He  believed  that  the  conqueror  of  Charles  XII 
would  easily  triumph  over  an  obscure  vizir, 
with  no  military  experience,  who  had  ap 
pointed  as  his  lieutenant  the  chief  customs 
officer  of  Turkey;  he  reckoned  on  all  Greece 
joining  his  faction,  and  the  Greek  priests  en 
couraged  him  in  his  treachery.  The  Czar  made 
a  secret  treaty  with  him,  and  having  received 
him  into  his  army,  marched  up  country,  and 
arrived  in  June  1711  on  the  northern  side  of 
the  river  Hierasus,  now  Pruth,  near  Jazy,  the 
capital  of  Moldavia. 

As  soon  as  the  Grand  Vizir  heard  that  Peter 


History  of  Charles  XII     217 

had  arrived,  he  left  his  camp  at  once,  and  fol 
lowing  the  course  of  the  Danube,  was  going  to 
cross  the  river  on  a  bridge  of  boats  near  Saccia, 
at  the  same  spot  where  Darius  had  built  the 
bridge  that  bore  his  name.  The  Turkish  army 
marched  so  rapidly  that  they  soon  came  in 
sight  of  the  Russians,  with  the  river  Pruth 
between  them. 

The  Czar,  sure  of  the  Prince  of  Moldavia, 
never  expected  that  the  subjects  might  fail 
him ;  but  the  Moldavians  often  oppose  their 
interests  to  those  of  their  masters.  They 
liked  the  Turkish  rule,  which  is  never  fatal 
except  to  the  grandees,  and  pretends  a  leniency 
to  its  tributaries ;  they  were  afraid  of  the  Chris 
tians,  especially  the  Russians,  who  had  always 
used  them  ill. 

Those  who  had  undertaken  to  furnish  the 
Russians  with  provisions  made  with  the  Grand 
Vizir  the  same  bargain  they  had  made  with 
the  Czar,  and  brought  all  their  provisions  to 
the  Ottoman  army.  The  Wallachians,  neigh 
bours  of  the  Moldavians,  showed  the  same  care 
for  the  Turks,  for  to  such  a  degree  the  remem 
brance  of  former  cruelties  had  alienated  their 
minds  from  the  Russians. 

The  Czar,  thus  frustrated  of  his  hopes,  which  he 
had  perhaps  indulged  too  readily,  found  his  army 
suddenly  destitute  of  food  and  without  forage. 

In  the  meantime  the  Turks  crossed  the  river, 
cut  off  the  Russians,  and  formed  an  entrenched 
camp  in  front  of  them. 


218     History  of  Charles  XII 

It  is  strange  that  the  Czar  did  not  dispute 
the  passage  of  the  river,  or  at  least  repair  this 
fault  by  engaging  the  Turks  at  once,  instead 
of  giving  them  time  to  tire  out  his  army  with 
fatigue  and  famine.  But  that  Prince  seems, 
in  this  campaign,  to  have  acted  in  every  way 
for  his  own  ruin ;  he  was  without  provisions, 
with  the  river  Pruth  behind  him,  and  about 
4,000  Tartars  continually  harassing  him  to 
right  and  left.  In  these  extremities  he  said 
publicly,  "  I  am  at  least  in  as  bad  a  case  as  my 
brother  Charles  at  Pultawa." 

Count  Poniatowski,  indefatigable  agent  to 
the  King  of  Sweden,  was  in  the  Grand  Vizir's 
army  with  some  Poles  and  Swedes,  who  all 
thought  the  Czar's  ruin  inevitable. 

As  soon  as  Poniatowski  saw  that  the  armies 
must  inevitably  meet,  he  sent  word  to  the  King 
of  Sweden,  who,  eager  for  the  pleasure  of 
attacking  the  Russian  Emperor,  started  that 
moment  from  Bender,  with  forty  officers.  After 
many  losses,  and  several  destructive  marches,  the 
Czar  was  driven  back  on  Pruth,  and  had  no 
cover  left  but  some  chevaux  de  frise  and  some 
wagons.  A  party  of  the  janissaries  and  spahis 
fell  immediately  on  his  army  in  that  defenceless 
condition,  but  they  attacked  in  disorder,  and 
the  Russians  defended  themselves  with  an 
energy  inspired  by  the  presence  of  their  Prince 
and  despair. 

The  Turks  were  twice  driven  back.  Next 
day  M.  Poniatowski  advised  the  Grand  Vizir 


History  of  Charles  XII     219 

to  starve  out  the  Russians,  for  they  lacked  all 
necessaries,  and  would  be  obliged  to  surrender 
at  discretion  in  one  day. 

The  Czar  has  since  then  repeatedly  acknow 
ledged  that  he  never  felt  anything  so  acutely 
as  the  difficulties  of  his  position  that  night : 
he  turned  over  in  his  mind  all  that  he  had  been 
doing  for  so  many  years  for  the  glory  and  good 
of  his  people,  so  many  great  plans,  always  in 
terrupted  by  war,  were  perhaps  about  to  perish 
with  him,  before  having  reached  completion. 
He  must  either  die  of  hunger  or  attack  nearly 
200,000  men  with  feeble  troops,  reduced  by  half 
from  their  original  number,  a  cavalry  with 
scarcely  a  horse  between  them,  and  infantry 
worn  out  by  hunger  and  fatigue. 

He  called  General  Czeremetoff  at  nightfall, 
and  ordered  him  peremptorily  to  have  all  ready 
by  daybreak  for  an  attack  on  the  Turks  with 
fixed  bayonets. 

He  gave  strict  orders  also  that  all  baggage 
should  be  burned,  and  that  no  officer  should 
keep  more  than  one  wagon,  so  that  in  case  of 
defeat  the  enemy  might  not  have  the  booty 
they  expected. 

Having  made  all  arrangements  with  the 
general  for  the  battle,  he  withdrew  into  his 
tent  overcome  by  grief,  and  seized  with  con 
vulsions,  to  which  he  was  subject,  and  which 
worry  brought  on  with  redoubled  violence.  He 
forbade  any  one  to  enter  his  tent  during  the 
night  on  any  pretext  whatever,  not  wanting 


220     History  of  Charles  XII 

to  receive  remonstrances  against  a  desperate 
but  necessary  resolve,  and  much  less  that  any 
should  witness  the  wretched  state  he  was 
in.  In  the  meantime  they  burned  the  greater 
part  of  the  baggage  as  he  had  ordered ;  all 
the  army  followed  this  example  with  much 
regret,  and  some  buried  their  most  cherished 
treasures.  The  generals  had  already  given 
orders  for  the  march,  and  were  trying  to  give 
the  army  the  confidence  which  they  did  not 
feel  themselves ;  the  men,  exhausted  by  fatigue, 
and  starving,  marched  without  spirit  or  hope. 
The  women,  of  whom  there  were  too  many  in 
the  army,  uttered  cries  which  further  unnerved 
the  men;  every  one  expected  that  death  or 
slavery  would  be  their  portion  next  morning. 
This  is  no  exaggeration,  it  is  the  exact  account 
of  officers  who  served  in  the  army. 

There  was  at  that  time  in  the  Russian  camp 
a  woman  as  extraordinary  as  the  Czar  himself. 
She  was  then  known  only  by  the  name  of 
Catherine.  Her  mother  was  an  unfortunate 
country  woman  called  Erb-Magden,  of  the  vil 
lage  of  Ringen  in  Estonia,  a  province  held  in 
villeinage,  which  was  at  that  time  under  the 
rule  of  Sweden.  She  had  never  known  her 
father,  but  was  baptized  by  the  name  of 
Martha.  The  priest  of  the  parish  brought  her 
up  out  of  pure  charity  till  she  was  fourteen, 
then  she  went  into  service  at  Marienburg,  in 
the  house  of  a  Lutheran  minister  whose  name 
was  Gluk. 


History  of  Charles  XII     221 

In  1702,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  she  married 
a  Swedish  dragoon.  The  day  after  her  mar 
riage  part  of  the  Swedish  troops  were  beaten 
by  the  Russians,  and  the  dragoon  was  in  the 
action.  But  he  never  returned  to  his  wife,  and 
she  could  never  learn  whether  he  had  been 
taken  prisoner,  nor  later  could  she  get  any 
news  of  him. 

Some  days  after  she  was  taken  prisoner  her 
self,  and  was  servant  to  General  Czeremetoff, 
who  gave  her  to  Menzikoff,  a  man  who  had 
known  fortune's  extremes,  for  he  had  become 
a  general  and  a  prince  from  being  a  pastry 
cook's  boy,  and  then  was  deprived  of  every 
thing  and  banished  to  Siberia,  where  he  died 
in  misery  and  despair.  The  Czar  was  at  supper 
with  this  prince  when  he  first  saw  her  and  fell 
in  love  with  her.  He  married  her  secretly  in 
1707,  not  fascinated  by  womanly  charms,  but 
because  he  found  that  she  had  the  strength  of 
mind  to  second  his  designs,  and  even  to  con 
tinue  them  after  him.  He  had  long  since  put 
away  his  first  wife  Ottokefa,  daughter  of  a 
boyard,  on  a  charge  of  opposition  to  certain 
political  reforms  he  had  made. 

This  was  the  greatest  of  all  crimes  in  the 
Czar's  eyes.  He  would  have  none  in  his  family 
who  differed  from  him.  In  this  foreign  slave 
he  expected  all  the  qualities  of  a  sovereign, 
though  she  had  none  of  the  virtues  of  woman 
hood.  For  her  sake  he  scorned  the  petty  pre 
judices  which  would  have  hampered  an  ordi- 


222     History  of  Charles  XII 

nary  man,  and  had  her  crowned  Empress.  The 
same  capacity  which  made  her  Peter's  wife 
gave  her  the  empire  after  her  husband's  death. 
Europe  was  amazed  to  see  a  bold  woman,  who 
could  neither  read  nor-  write,  supply  her  lack 
of  education  and  her  weakness  by  spirit  and 
courage,  and  fill  the  throne  of  a  legislator 
gloriously. 

When  she  married  the  Czar  she  left  the 
Lutheran  faith  for  that  of  the  Russian  Church ; 
she  was  baptized  again  according  to  the  Rus 
sian  rite,  and  instead  of  the'  name  of  Martha 
she  took  that  of  Catherine,  by  which  she  has 
been  known  ever  since.  This  woman  was  in 
the  camp  at  Pruth,  and  held  a  private  council 
with  the  generals  and  the  Vice-Chancellor 
while  the  Czar  was  in  his  tent. 

They  agreed  that  it  was  necessary  to  sue  for 
peace,  and  that  the  Czar  must  be  persuaded  to 
this  course.  The  Vice-Chancellor  wrote  a  let 
ter  to  the  Grand  Vizir  in  his  master's  name, 
which  the  Czarina,  in  spite  of  the  Emperor's 
prohibition,  carried  into  the  tent  to  him,  and 
after  many  prayers,  tears  and  argument,  she 
prevailed  on  him  to  sign  it ;  she  then  took  all 
her  money,  all  her  jewels  and  valuables,  and 
what  she  could  borrow  from  the  generals,  and 
having  collected  by  this  means  a  considerable 
present,  she  sent  it  with  the  Czar's  letter  to 
Osman  Aga,  lieutenant  to  the  Grand  Vizir. 

Mahomet  Baltagi  answered  proudly,  with  the 
air  of  a  vizir  and  a  conqueror,  *'  Let  the  Czar 


History  of  Charles  XII     223 

send  me  his  first  minister,  and  I  will  see  what 
can  be  done."  The  Vice-Chancellor  came  at 
once,  loaded  with  presents,  which  he  offered 
publicly  to  the  Grand  Vizir;  they  were  large 
enough  to  show  they  needed  his  help,  but  too 
small  for  a  bribe.  The  Vizir's  first  condition 
was  that  the  Czar,  with  all  his  army,  should 
surrender  at  discretion.  The  Vice-Chancellor 
answered  that  the  Czar  was  going  to  attack 
him  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  that  the 
Russians  would  perish  to  a  man,  rather  than 
submit  to  such  shameful  conditions.  Osman 
seconded  him  by  remonstrances. 

Baltagi  was  no  soldier.  He  knew  that  the 
janissaries  had  been  repulsed  the  day  before, 
and  was  easily  persuaded  by  Osman  not  to  risk 
certain  advantages  by  the  hazard  of  a  battle. 
He  therefore  granted  a  suspension  of  hostilities 
for  six  hours,  during  which  the  treaty  could  be 
arranged. 

During  the  discussion  an  incident  occurred, 
proving  that  the  word  of  a  Turk  is  often  more 
reliable  than  we  think. 

Two  Italian  noblemen,  related  to  a  M.  Brillo, 
colonel  of  a  regiment  of  grenadiers  in  the 
service  of  the  Czar,  going  to  look  for  forage, 
were  taken  by  the  Tartars,  who  carried  them 
off  to  their  camp,  and  offered  to  sell  them  to  an 
officer  of  the  janissaries.  The  Turk,  enraged 
at  such  a  breach  of  the  truce,  seized  the  Tartars 
and  carried  them  before  the  Grand  Vizir,  to 
gether  with  the  two  prisoners.  The  Vizir  sr 


224     History  of  Charles  XII 

them  back  at  once  to  the  Czar's  camp,  and  had 
the  two  Tartars  who  had  carried  them  off  be 
headed.  In  the  meantime  the  Kan  of  Tartary 
opposed  the  conclusion  of  a  treaty  which 
robbed  him  of  all  hopes  of  pillage.  Poniatow- 
ski  seconded  him  with  urgent  and  pressing 
reasons.  But  Osman  carried  his  point,  not 
withstanding  the  impatience  of  the  Tartar  and 
the  insinuations  of  Poniatowski. 

The  Vizir  thought  it  enough  for  his  master 
the  Sultan  to  make  an  advantageous  peace ; 
he  insisted  that  the  Russians  should  give  up 
Asoph,  burn  the  galleys  that  lay  in  that  port, 
and  demolish  the  important  citadels  on  the 
Palus-Mseotis ;  that  all  the  cannon  and  ammu 
nition  of  those  forts  should  be  handed  over  to 
the  Sultan;  that  the  Czar  should  withdraw 
his  troops  from  Poland ;  that  he  should  not 
further  disturb  the  few  Cossacks  who  were 
under  Polish  protection,  nor  those  that  were 
subject  to  Turkey,  and  that  for  the  future  he 
should  pay  the  Tartars  a  subsidy  of  40,000 
sequins  per  annum — an  irksome  tribute  which 
had  been  imposed  long  before,  but  from  which 
the  Czar  had  delivered  his  country. 

At  last  the  treaty  was  going  to  be  signed, 
without  so  much  as  a  mention  of  the  King  of 
Sweden ;  all  that  Poniatowski  could  obtain  from 
the  Vizir  was  the  insertion  of  an  article  by 
which  the  Russians  should  promise  not  to 
hinder  the  return  of  Charles  XII,  and,  strangely 
enough,  that  a  peace  should  be  made  between 


History  of  Charles  XII     225 

the  King  and  the  Czar  if  they  wished  it,  and 
could  come  to  terms. 

On  these  terms  the  Czar  got  liberty  to  re 
treat  with  his  army,  cannon,  artillery,  colours 
and  baggage.  The  Turks  gave  him  provisions, 
and  there  was  plenty  of  everything  in  his 
camp  within  two  hours  of  the  signing  of  the 
treaty,  which  was  begun  on  the  2ist  July,  1711, 
and  signed  on  the  ist  of  August. 

Just  as  the  Czar,  rescued  from  his  dangerous 
position,  was  drawing  off  with  drums  beating 
and  colours  flying,  the  King  of  Sweden,  eager 
to  fight,  and  to  see  the  enemy  in  his  hands, 
came  up;  he  had  ridden  post  haste  about 
fifty  leagues  from  Bender  to  Jazy,  and  alight 
ing  at  Count  Poniatowski's  tent,  the  Count 
came  up  to  him  sadly  and  told  him  how  he 
had  lost  a  chance  which  would  perhaps  never 
recur. 

The  King,  beside  himself  with  rage,  went 
straight  to  the  tent  of  the  Grand  Vizir,  and 
with  flushed  face  reproached  him  for  the  treaty 
he  had  just  made. 

"  I  have  authority,"  said  the  Grand  Vizir, 
calmly,  "  to  make  peace  and  to  wage  war." 

"  But,"  answered  the  King,  "had  you  not 
the  whole  Russian  army  in  your  power?" 

"  Our  law,"  said  the  Vizir  solemnly,  "  com 
mands  us  to  grant  peace  to  our  enemies  when 
they  implore  our  mercy." 

"Ah,"  replied  the  King,  in  a  rage,  "does 
it  order  you  to  make  a  bad  treaty,  when  you 

Q 


226     History  of  Charles  XII 

can  impose  the  terms  you  please?  Was  it  not 
your  duty  to  take  the  Czar  prisoner  to 
Constantinople?" 

The  Turk,  thus  nonplussed,  answered  slyly, 
"  And  who  would  govern  his  empire  in  his 
absence?  It  is  not  fitting  that  all  kings  should 
be  away  from  home." 

Charles  replied  with  an  indignant  smile,  and 
then  threw  himself  down  on  a  cushion,  and, 
looking  at  the  Vizir  with  resentment  mingled 
with  contempt,  he  stretched  out  his  leg  towards 
him,  and,  entangling  his  spur  with  his  robe, 
tore  it ;  then  jumped  up,  mounted,  and  rode 
to  Bender  full  of  despair. 

Poniatowski  stayed  some  time  longer  with 
the  Grand  Vizir,  to  see  if  he  could  prevail  on 
him  by  gentler  means  to  make  some  better 
terms  with  the  Czar,  but  it  was  prayer-time, 
and  the  Turk,  without  one  word  in  answer, 
went  to  wash  and  attend  to  his  devotions. 


BOOK   VI 


BOOK    VI 

Intrigues  at  the  Porte— The  Kan  of  Tartary  and  the 
Pasha  of  Bender  try  to  force  Charles  to  depart— 
He  defends  himself  with  forty  servants  against 
their  whole  army. 

THE  fortune  of  the  King  of  Sweden,  greatly 
changed  as  it  was,  now  failed  him  in  the 
smallest  details.  On  his  return  he  found  his 
little  camp  at  Bender,  and  his  whole  quarters, 
under  water,  flooded  by  the  waters  of  the 
Neister.  He  withdrew  to  a  distance  of  some 
miles,  near  a  village  called  Varnitza;  and,  as 
if  he  had  a  secret  suspicion  of  what  was  going 
to  happen  to  him,  he  had  a  large  stone  house 
built  there,  capable,  in  an  emergency,  of  sus 
taining  some  hours'  siege;  he  furnished  it 
magnificently,  contrary  to  his  usual  custom, 
and  in  order  to  impress  the  Turks.  Besides 
this  he  built  two  more,  one  for  his  Chancery, 
and  the  other  for  his  favourite,  Grothusen, 
whom  he  supported.  While  the  King  was 
thus  building  at  Bender,  as  if  it  was  his  inten 
tion  to  stay  always  in  Turkey,  Baltagi,  being 
more  than  ever  fearful  of  his  intrigues  and 
complaints  at  the  Porte,  had  sent  the  resident 
consul  of  the  German  Emperor  to  Vienna  to 
gain  for  the  King  of  Sweden  a  passage 
through  the  hereditary  dominions  of  the  house 
of  Austria.  This  envoy  returned  in  three  weeks 
with  a  promise  from  the  Imperial  Regency 
229 


230     History  of  Charles  XII 

that  they  would  give  Charles  all  due  honour, 
and  conduct  him  safely  to  Pomerania. 

The  application  had  been  made  to  the 
Regency  because  Charles,  the  successor  of 
Joseph,  who  was  then  Emperor,  was  in  Spain 
as  a  rival  with  Philip  V  for  the  crown.  While 
the  German  envoy  was  carrying  out  his  mission 
to  Vienna,  the  Vizir  sent  three  pashas  to  the 
King  of  Sweden  bidding  him  begone  from 
Turkish  territory.  The  King,  who  knew  their 
mission,  sent  them  a  message,  that  if  they  were 
venturing  on  any  dishonourable  or  disrespect 
ful  proposal  to  him  he  would  have  them 
hanged  forthwith.  The  pasha  who  delivered 
the  message  cloaked  the  harshness  of  his 
message  in  the  most  respectful  language. 
Charles  dismissed  the  audience  without  deign 
ing  a  word  of  reply;  but  his  chancellor,  who 
remained  with  the  three  pashas,  signified  in 
few  words  his  master's  refusal,  which  they 
had  already  concluded  from  his  silence. 

But  the  Grand  Vizir  was  not  discouraged. 
He  ordered  Ishmael  Pasha,  the  new  serasquier 
of  Bender,  to  threaten  the  King  with  the 
Sultan's  displeasure  if  he  did  not  haste  to 
come  to  some  conclusion.  The  serasquier  was 
of  an  agreeable  and  tactful  disposition,  and 
had  therefore  gained  Charles's  good-will  and 
the  friendship  of  the  Swedes. 

The  King  held  a  conference  with  him,  and 
informed  him  that  he  would  only  depart  from 
Turkey  when  the  Sultan  granted  him  two 


History  of  Charles  XII     231 

things :  the  punishment  of  his  Vizir,  and 
100,000  men  with  which  to  return  to  Poland. 
Baltagi  was  aware  of  the  fact  that  Charles's 
presence  in  Turkey  meant  his  ruin,  so  he  placed 
guards  on  all  the  roads  from  Bender  to  Con 
stantinople,  with  orders  to  intercept  the  King's 
letters;  he  also  cut  off  his  "  thaim,"  the 
allowance  that  the  Porte  makes  to  exiled 
princes  in  her  dominions.  The  King  of 
Sweden's  was  immense,  500  crowns  a  day  in 
money,  besides  all  that  contributed  to  the 
maintenance  of  a  court  in  pomp  and  abund 
ance.  As  soon  as  the  King  heard  that  the 
Vizir  had  dared  to  cut  off  his  allowance  he 
turned  to  his  steward,  remarking,  "  So  far 
you  have  had  only  two  tables,  for  to-morrow 
prepare  four." 

Charles  XII's  officers  had  never  found  any 
order  of  their  master's  impossible,  but  having 
neither  money  nor  provision  they  were  forced 
to  borrow  at  twenty,  thirty,  and  forty  per 
cent,  of  the  officers'  servants  and  janissaries, 
who  had  grown  rich  by  the  King's  liberality. 
M.  Fabricius,  ambassador  from  Holstein,  Jef 
freys,  English  minister,  their  secretaries  and 
their  friends,  gave  what  they  had;  the  King, 
with  his  usual  pride,  and  without  a  thought  for 
the  morrow,  lived  on  these  gifts,  which  would 
not  have  long  sufficed.  They  had  to  go  through 
the  Turkish  guard,  and  send  secretly  to  Con 
stantinople  to  borrow  from  European  money 
lenders.  All  refused  to  lend  to  a  king  who 


232     History  of  Charles  XII 

seemed  to  be  powerless  to  pay;  but  one  Eng 
lish  merchant,  named  Cook,  at  last  ventured 
to  lend  40,000  crowns,  taking  the  risk  of 
losing  them  if  the  King  of  Sweden  was  killed. 
They  took  the  money  to  the  King's  camp,  just 
as  they  were  feeling  actual  want,  and  were 
beginning  to  despair  of  supplies. 

In  the  meantime  M.  Poniatowski  wrote 
actually  from  the  Grand  Vizir's  camp  an  ac 
count  of  the  Pruth  campaign,  accusing  the 
Vizir  of  cowardice  and  treachery.  An  old 
janissary,  enraged  at  the  weakness  of  the 
Vizir,  and  bribed  by  Poniatowski,  undertook 
the  delivery  of  the  letter,  and,  having  got  his 
discharge,  presented  it  with  his  own  hands  to 
the  Sultan.  Some  days  later  Poniatowski  set 
out  from  the  camp  and  went*  to  the  Ottoman 
Porte  to  form  intrigues  against  the  Grand  Vizir 
as  usual. 

All  seemed  to  favour  the  design.  The  Czar, 
now  at  liberty,  was  in  no  hurry  to  carry  out 
his  promises ;  the  keys  of  Azov  did  not  come, 
and  the  Grand  Vizir,  who  was  responsible  for 
them,  justly  fearing  his  master's  resentment, 
dare  not  appear  in  his  presence. 

The  seraglio  was  then  more  full  of  intrigues 
and  factions  than  ever.  These  cabals,  which 
exist  at  all  courts,  and  which,  in  our  case, 
generally  end  in  the  removal  of  a  minister  from 
office,  or  at  most  by  a  banishment,  always  meant 
more  than  one  execution  in  Constantinople. 

It  ended  in  the  execution  of  the  former  Vizir 


History  of  Charles  XII     233 

Chourlouli,  and  of  Osman,  the  lieutenant  of 
Baltagi,  who  was  the  chief  author  of  the  Peace 
of  Pruth,  and  who  since  the  peace  had  held  a 
prominent  office  at  the  Porte.  Among  the 
treasures  of  Osrnan  they  found  the  Czarina's 
ring-  and  20,000  gold  pieces,  in  Saxon,  Polish 
and  Russian  coin ;  this  was  a  proof  that  it 
was  money  alone  which  had  rescued  the  Czar 
from  his  perilous  position,  and  had  ruined  the 
chances  of  Charles  XII.  The  Vizir,  Baltagi, 
was  exiled  to  the  isle  of  Lemnos,  where  he 
died  three  years  later.  The  Sultan  did  not 
confiscate  his  property  either  at  his  exile  or  at 
his  death ;  he  was  not  rich,  and  his  poverty 
protects  his  memory. 

This  Grand  Vizir  was  succeeded  by  Joseph, 
whose  fortune  was  as  singular  as  that  of  his 
predecessors.  He  was  a  Russian  by  birth,  and 
had  been  taken  prisoner  by  the  Turks  at  six 
years  of  age  with  his  family,  and  had  been  sold 
to  a  janissary.  He  was  long  a  valet  in  the 
seraglio,  then  became  the  second  person  in 
the  empire  where  he  had  been  a  slave.  But 
he  was  only  the  shadow  of  a  minister. 

The  young  Ali-Coumourgi  had  placed  him  in 
the  slippery  post  until  he  could  seize  it  himself, 
and  Joseph,  his  creature,  had  nothing  else  to 
do  but  affix  the  Imperial  seals  to  the  favourite's 
desires.  The  policy  of  the  Ottoman  Court 
seemed  to  be  revolutionized  from  the  very  be 
ginning  of  this  Vizir's  ministry.  The  Czar's 
plenipotentiaries,  who  lived  at  Constantinople 


234     History  of  Charles  XII 

both  as  ministers  and  hostages,  were  better 
treated  than  ever;  the  Grand  Vizir  counter 
signed  the  Peace  of  Pruth  with  them.  But 
that  which  annoyed  the  King  of  Sweden  more 
than  all  else  was  the  news  that  the  secret 
alliance  made  at  Constantinople  with  the  Czar 
was  brought  about  by  the  mediation  of  the 
English  and  Dutch  ambassadors. 

Since  Charles's  retreat  to  Bender,  Constan 
tinople  was  occupying  the  position  that  Rome 
had  so  often  held,  as  the  centre  of  the  business 
of  Christendom.  Count  Desaleurs,  the  French 
ambassador  at  the  Porte,  was  supporting  the 
interests  of  Charles  and  of  Stanislas ;  the 
Emperor  of  Germany's  minister  was  opposing 
them.  The  Swedish  and  Russian  factions  were 
falling  foul  of  each  other,  as  those  of  France  and 
Spain  have  long  done  at  the  Court  of  Rome. 

England  and  Holland  posed  as  neutrals,  but 
were  not  really  such ;  the  new  trade  of  Saint 
Petersburg  attracted  the  attention  of  those  two 
trading  powers. 

The  English  and  the  Dutch  are  always  on 
the  side  of  the  prince  who  most  favours  their 
trade,  and  there  was  just  then  much  to  be 
gained  from  the  Czar,  so  that  it  is  no  wonder 
that  the  English  and  Dutch  ministers  should 
work  secretly  in  his  interest  at  the  Porte.  One 
of  the  conditions  of  this  new  alliance  was  that 
Charles  should  at  once  be  driven  from  the 
Turkish  dominions. 

Perhaps  the  Czar  thought  him  less  formid 
able  at  home  than  in  Turkey,  where  he  was 


History  of  Charles  XII     235 

always  on  the  spot  ready  to  raise  the  Ottoman 
arms  against  the  Russian  empire,  or  perhaps 
he  hoped  to  seize  him  en  route.  The  King  of 
Sweden  continued  his  petitions  to  the  Porte  to 
send  him  home  through  Poland  with  a  large 
army.  The  Divan  resolved  to  send  him  back, 
but  only  with  a  guard  of  7,000  or  8,000  men, 
not  like  a  King  they  wished  to  help,  but  as  a 
guest  they  were  anxious  to  be  rid  of.  With 
this  object  in  view  the  Sultan  Achmet  wrote 
him  the  following  letter  : 

"  Most  powerful  of  the  Princes  that  worship 
Jesus,  redressor  of  wrongs  and  injuries,  and 
protector  of  justice  in  the  ports  and  republics 
of  South  and  North,  shining  in  Majesty,  lover 
of  Honour  and  Glory,  and  of  our  sublime 
Porte,  Charles,  King  of  Sweden,  whose  enter 
prises  may  God  crown  with  success. 

"  As  soon  as  the  most  illustrious  Achmet, 
formerly  Chiaoux-Pasha,  shall  have  the  honour 
to  present  this  letter  to  you,  adorned  with  our 
Imperial  seal,  be  persuaded  and  convinced  of 
the  truth  of  our  intentions  expressed  therein, 
namely,  that,  although  we  had  planned  to 
march  again  against  the  Czar,  yet  that  Prince, 
to  avoid  our  just  resentment  at  his  delay  in  the 
execution  of  the  treaty  concluded  on  the  banks 
of  the  Pruth,  and  renewed  again  at  our  sublime 
Porte,  having  surrendered  to  us  the  castle  and 
city  of  Azov,  and  having  endeavoured  by  the 
mediation  of  the  English  and  Dutch  ambassa 
dors,  our  ancient  allies,  to  form  a  lasting  peace 
with  us,  we  have  granted  his  request,  and 


236     History  of  Charles  XII 

given  up  his  plenipotentiaries,  who  remain  with 
us  as  hostages,  our  Imperial  ratification,  after 
having  received  his  from  their  hands. 

"  We  have  given  our  inviolable  and  salutary 
orders  to  the  right  honourable  Delvet  Gharai, 
Kan  of  Budziack,  of  Crimea,  Nagai,  and  Cir- 
cassia,  and  to  our  wise  counsellor  and  noble 
serasquier  of  Bender,  Ishmael  (whom  God  pre 
serve  and  increase  in  magnificence  and  wisdom), 
for  your  return  through  Poland,  according  to 
your  first  plan  which  has  been  again  laid 
before  us  from  you.  You  must,  therefore, 
prepare  to  set  out  next  winter  under  the  guid 
ance  of  Providence  and  with  an  honourable 
guard,  that  you  may  return  to  your  own 
territories,  taking  care  to  pass  through  Poland 
in  a  peaceable  and  friendly  manner. 

"  You  will  be  provided  by  my  sublime  Porte 
with  all  that  is  needed  for  your  journey,  both 
money,  men,  horses  and  wagons.  But  above 
all  else  we  advise  and  exhort  you  to  give  the 
most  express  and  detailed  orders  to  the  Swedes 
and  other  soldiers  in  your  retinue  not  to  com 
mit  any  act  of  disorder,  nor  be  guilty  of  any 
action  which  may  either  directly  or  indirectly 
tend  to  the  breach  of  this  peace.  By  that 
means  you  will  preserve  our  good-will,  of  which 
we  shall  endeavour  to  give  great  and  frequent 
proofs  as  we  shall  find  opportunity.  The 
troops  to  attend  you  shall  receive  orders  to 
that  effect,  according-  to  our  Imperial  will  and 
pleasure. 


History  of  Charles  XII     237 

"  Given  at  our  sublime  Porte  of  Constan 
tinople  on  the  1 4th  of  the  month  Rebyul  Eureb, 
1214.  Which  corresponds  to  the  igth  April, 
1712." 

This  letter  did  not,  however,  entirely  destroy 
the  hopes  of  the  King  of  Sweden.  He  wrote 
to  the  Sultan  that  he  was  ready  to  go,  and 
would  never  forget  the  favour  he  had  shown 
him ;  but  he  added  that  he  believed  the  Sultan 
was  too  just  to  send  him  away  with  nothing 
but  a  flying  camp  through  a  country  already 
overrun  with  the  Czar's  troops.  Indeed,  the 
Emperor  of  Russia,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
the  first  article  of  the  Treaty  of  Pruth  obliged 
him  to  withdraw  his  forces  from  Poland,  had 
sent  recruits  thither,  and  it  seemed  strange 
that  the  Sultan  was  ignorant  of  the  fact.  The 
bad  policy  and  vanity  of  the  Porte  in  suffering 
the  Christian  princes  to  maintain  their  ambas 
sadors  at  Constantinople,  and  not  keeping  one 
single  agent  in  any  Christian  court,  gives  the 
former  an  opportunity  of  probing  and  some 
times  of  directing  the  Sultan's  most  secret 
resolutions,  while  the  Divan  is  always  ignorant 
of  the  most  public  transactions  of  Christen 
dom.  The  Sultan,  shut  up  in  the  seraglio 
among  his  women  and  his  eunuchs,  sees  only 
through  the  Grand  Vizir's  eyes;  the  latter  is 
as  inaccessible  as  his  master,  taken  up  with 
the  intrigues  of  the  seraglio,  and  without  any 
communication  with  the  world  outside.  He  is 
therefore  generally  imposed  on  himself,  or  im- 


238     History  of  Charles  XII 

poses  on  the  Sultan,  who  deposes  him  or  has 
him  strangled  for  his  first  mistake,  in  order  to 
choose  another  as  ignorant  or  as  treacherous 
as  the  former,  who  behaves  in  the  same  way 
as  his  predecessors  and  falls  as  soon  as  they. 

Such  is,  for  the  most  part,  the  negligence 
and  profound  security  of  this  Court,  that  if 
the  Christian  princes  leagued  against  the  Porte 
their  fleets  would  be  at  the  Dardanelles  and 
their  army  at  the  gates  of  Adrianople  before 
the  Turks  could  think  of  taking  the  defensive. 
But  the  different  interests  which  divide 
Christendom  will  protect  that  people  from  a 
fate  for  which  they  at  present  seem  ripe  in 
their  want  of  policy  and  their  ignorance  in  war 
and  naval  matters. 

Achmet  was  so  little  acquainted  with  what 
was  happening  in  Poland  that  he  sent  an  aga 
to  see  if  the  Czar's  forces  were  there  or  not. 
Two  of  the  King  of  Sweden's  secretaries,  who 
understood  Turkish,  went  with  him,  to  keep 
a  check  on  him  in  the  event  of  a  false  report. 
The  aga  saw  the  forces  with  his  own  eyes  and 
gave  the  Sultan  a  true  account  of  the  matter. 
Achmet,  in  a  rage,  was  going  to  strangle  the 
Grand  Vizir,  but  the  favourite,  who  protected 
him,  and  thought  he  might  prove  useful,  got 
him  pardoned  and  kept  him  some  time  in  the 
ministry. 

The  Russians  were  openly  protected  by  the 
Vizir,  and  secretly  by  Ali-Coumourgi,  who  had 
changed  sides;  but  the  Sultan  was  so  angry, 


History  of  Charles  XII     239 

the  infraction  of  the  Treaty  was  so  palpable, 
and  the  janissaries,  who  often  make  the 
ministers,  favourites  and  Sultans  themselves 
tremble,  clamoured  so  loudly  for  war  that  no 
one  in  the  seraglio  dare  counsel  moderation. 

The  Sultan  at  once  put  the  Russian  ambas 
sadors,  who  were  already  as  accustomed  to  go 
to  prison  as  to  a  concert,  in  the  seven  towers. 
War  was  declared  again  against  the  Czar,  the 
horse-tails  hoisted,  and  orders  issued  to  all  the 
pashas  to  raise  an  army  of  200,000  fighting 
men.  The  Sultan  left  Constantinople  for 
Adrianople  in  order  to  be  nearer  the  seat  of 
war. 

In  the  meantime  a  solemn  embassy  from 
Augustus  and  the  republics  of  Poland  to  the 
Sultan  was  on  the  road  to  Adrianople.  At  the 
head  of  this  embassy  was  the  Prince  of  Mas- 
sovia  with  a  retinue  of  300  persons.  They 
were  all  seized  and  imprisoned  in  the  suburbs 
of  the  city.  Never  was  the  Swedish  party 
more  hopeful  than  on  this  occasion;  but  these 
great  preparations  came  to  nothing,  and  all 
their  hopes  were  dashed.  If  a  minister  of 
great  wisdom  and  foresight,  who  was  then 
living  at  Constantinople,  is  to  be  credited, 
young  Coumourgi  had  other  plans  in  his  head 
than  hazarding  a  war  with  the  Czar  to  gain 
a  desert.  He  wanted  to  take  Peloponnesus, 
now  called  Morea,  from  the  Venetians,  and  to 
make  himself  master  of  Hungary. 

To  carry  out  his  great  designs  he  wanted 


240     History  of  Charles  XII 

nothing  but  the  office  of  Grand  Vizir,  for  which 
he  was  thought  too  young.  With  this  in  view 
the  friendship  of  the  Czar  was  more  important 
to  him  than  his  enmity.  It  was  neither  to  his 
interest  nor  to  his  inclination  to  keep  the  King 
of  Sweden  any  longer,  much  less  to  raise  a 
Turkish  army  for  him.  He  not  only  advocated 
sending  the  Prince  away,  but  declared  openly 
that  henceforth  no  Christian  minister  ought  to 
be  tolerated  at  Constantinople ;  that  the  ordin 
ary  ambassadors  were  only  honourable  spies, 
who  corrupted  or  betrayed  the  vizirs,  and  had 
too  long  interfered  in  the  affairs  of  the  seraglio ; 
that  the  Franks  settled  at  Pera,  and  in  the 
commercial  ports  on  the  Levant,  were  mer 
chants,  who  needed  no  ambassador,  but  only  a 
consul.  The  Grand  Vizir,  who  owed  both  his 
position  and  his  life  to  the  favourite,  and  who 
feared  him  besides,  complied  with  his  plans  the 
more  readily  that  he  had  sold  himself  to  the 
Russians,  and  hoped  to  be  avenged  on  the  King 
of  Sweden,  who  would  have  ruined  him. 

The  Mufti,  Ali-Coumourgi's  creature,  was 
also  completely  under  his  thumb  :  he  had  given 
the  vote  for  war  against  the  Czar  when  the 
favourite  was  on  that  side,  but  he  declared  it 
to  be  unjust  as  soon  as  the  youth  had  changed 
his  mind.  Thus  the  army  was  scarcely  col 
lected  before  they  began  to  listen  to  proposals 
for  a  reconciliation.  After  several  negotiations 
the  vice-chancellor  Shaffiroff  and  young  Czere- 
metoff,  the  Czar's  plenipotentiaries  and  host- 


History  of  Charles  XII     241 

ages  at  the  Porte,  promised  that  the  troops 
should  be  withdrawn  from  Poland.  The  Grand 
Vizir,  who  knew  that  the  Czar  would  not  carry 
out  this  treaty,  decided  to  sign  it  for  all  that ; 
and  the  Sultan,  content  with  the  semblance  of 
laying  down  the  law  to  the  Russians,  remained 
at  Adrianople.  Thus,  in  less  than  six  months, 
peace  was  made  with  the  Czar,  then  war  was 
declared,  then  peace  was  renewed. 

The  main  article  of  all  the  treaties  was  that 
the  King  of  Sweden  should  be  forced  to  de 
part.  The  Sultan  would  not  imperil  his  own 
honour  and  that  of  the  Porte  to  the  extent  of 
exposing  the  King  to  the  risk  of  being  captured 
en  route  by  his  enemies.  It  was  stipulated 
that  he  should  be  sent  away,  but  on  condition 
that  the  ambassadors  of  Poland  and  Russia 
should  be  responsible  for  the  safety  of  his 
person;  these  ambassadors  swore,  in  their 
masters'  names,  that  neither  the  Czar  nor 
Augustus  should  molest  him  on  his  journey. 
On  the  other  hand,  Charles  was  not  to  endeav 
our  to  make  any  disturbance  in  Poland.  The 
Divan,  having  thus  determined  the  fate  of 
Charles,  Ishmael,  serasquier  of  Bender,  repaired 
to  Varnitsa,  where  the  King  was  encamped, 
and  acquainted  him  with  the  Forte's  resolve, 
explaining  civilly  enough  that  there  was  no 
time  for  delay,  but  that  he  must  go.  Charles's 
only  answer  was  that  the  Sultan  had  promised 
him  an  army  and  not  a  guard,  and  that  kings 
ought  to  keep  their  word. 


242     History  of  Charles  XII 

In  the  meantime  General  Fleming,  King 
Augustus's  minister  and  favourite,  maintained 
a  private  correspondence  with  the  Kan  of 
Tartary  and  the  serasquier  of  Bender.  A 
German  colonel,  whose  name  was  La  Mare, 
had  made  more  than  one  journey  from  Bender 
to  Dresden,  and  these  were  an  object  of  sus 
picion. 

Just  at  this  time  the  King  of  Sweden  caused 
a  courier  sent  from  Fleming  to  the  Tartar 
prince  to  be  seized  on  the  Wallachian  frontier. 
The  letters  were  brought  to  him  and  de 
ciphered  ;  there  was  obviously  a  correspond 
ence  going  on  between  the  Tartars  and 
Dresden,  but  the  references  were  so  general 
and  ambiguous  that  it  was  hard  to  say  whether 
King  Augustus's  plan  was  to  detach  the  Turks 
from  the  Swedish  alliance,  or  to  persuade  the 
Kan  to  hand  over  Charles  to  his  Saxons  as 
he  attended  him  on  the  road  to  Poland. 

It  is  hard  to  imagine  that  so  generous  a 
prince  as  Augustus  would,  for  the  sake  of 
seizing  the  King  of  Sweden,  risk  the  lives 
of  his  ambassadors  and  300  Poles,  detained  at 
Adrianople  as  hostages  for  Charles's  safety. 

On  the  other  hand,  Fleming  was  absolute, 
very  shrewd,  and  quite  unscrupulous.  The 
outrageous  treatment  of  the  Elector  by  King 
Charles  might  be  thought  an  excuse  for  any 
method  of  revenge,  and  if  the  Court  of  Dresden 
could  buy  Charles  of  the  Kan  of  Tartary  they 
may  have  thought  that  it  would  be  no  difficult 


History  of  Charles  XII     243 

matter   to   purchase   the   liberty   of  the   Polish 
hostages  of  the  Ottoman  Porte. 

These  reasons  were  argued  between  the 
King,  Mullern,  his  private  chancellor,  and  his 
favourite  Grothusen.  They  read  the  letters 
over  and  over  again,  and,  their  wretched  plight 
increasing  their  suspicions,  they  resolved  to 
believe  the  worst. 

Some  days  later  the  King  was  confirmed  in 
his  suspicions  by  the  sudden  departure  of 
Count  Sapieha,  who  had  sought  refuge  with 
him,  and  now  left  him  suddenly  to  go  to 
Poland  and  throw  himself  into  the  arms  of 
Augustus.  On  any  other  occasion  he  would 
have  regarded  Sapieha  as  a  malcontent,  but  in 
the  critical  state  of  affairs  he  felt  certain  that 
he  was  a  traitor;  the  repeated  requests  to  him 
to  begone  made  his  suspicions  a  certainty. 
His  own  positiveness,  together  with  all  these 
probabilities,  made  him  continue  in  the  certainty 
that  there  had  been  a  plot  to  betray  him  and 
deliver  him  up  to  his  enemies,  although  the 
plot  had  never  been  proved. 

He  might  be  wrong  in  thinking  King  Augus 
tus  had  made  a  bargain  with  the  Tartars  for 
his  person,  but  he  was  much  more  so  in  de 
pending  on  the  Ottoman  Porte.  But  in  any 
case  he  resolved  to  gain  time.  He  told  the 
Pasha  of  Bender  that  he  could  not  go  till  he 
had  the  wherewithal  to  pay  his  debts,  for 
though  his  thaim  had  been  regularly  paid  his 
liberality  had  always  forced  him  to  borrow. 


244     History  of  Charles  XII 

The  Pasha  asked  how  much  he  needed.  The 
King  answered  at  hazard  1,000  purses,  that 
is,  about  1,500,000  francs  French  money  full 
weight.  The  Pasha  wrote  to  his  master  about 
it;  the  Sultan,  instead  of  the  1,000  purses 
which  he  demanded,  sent  him  1,200  with  the 
following  letter  to  the  Pasha — 

"  The  object  of  this  Imperial  letter  is  to 
inform  you  that,  upon  your  representation  and 
request,  and  that  of  the  right  noble  Delvet 
Gherai  Kan  to  our  sublime  Porte,  our  Imperial 
munificence  has  granted  the  King  of  Sweden 
1,000  purses,  which  shall  be  sent  to  Bender  in 
the  custody  of  the  most  illustrious  Mahomet 
Pasha,  to  remain  in  your  hands  till  such  time 
as  the  King  of  Sweden  departs,  whose  steps 
may  God  direct,  and  then  to  be  given  him  with 
200  purses  more,  as  an  overplus  of  our  Imperial 
liberality  beyond  what  he  desires.  As  to  the 
route  through  Poland,  which  he  has  decided 
on,  you  and  the  Kan,  who  are  to  accompany 
him,  must  be  careful  to  take  such  prudent  and 
wise  measures  as  shall  prevent,  during  the 
whole  journey,  the  troops  under  your  command 
and  those  of  the  King  of  Sweden  from  any 
disorderly  conduct  or  anything  which  may  be 
reckoned  a  breach  of  the  peace  between  our 
sublime  Porte  and  the  realm  and  republic  of 
Poland,  so  that  the  King  of  Sweden  may  travel 
as  a  friend  under  our  protection. 

"By  so  doing  (and  you  are  to  desire  it  of 
him  in  set  terms)  he  will  receive  all  the  honour 


History  of  Charles  XII     245 

and  respect  due  to  his  Majesty  from  the  Poles, 
as  we  have  been  assured  by  the  ambassadors 
of  King  Augustus  and  the  republic,  who  have 
offered  themselves  and  certain  other  of  the 
Polish  nobility,  if  required,  as  hostages  for  his 
safe  passage.  At  the  time  which  you  and  the 
right  noble  Delvet  shall  agree  on  for  the  march 
you  shall  put  yourselves  at  the  head  of  your 
brave  soldiers,  among  whom  shall  be  the 
Tartars,  led  by  the  Kan,  and  go  with  the  King 
and  his  men. 

"  May  it  please  the  only  God,  the  Almighty, 
to  direct  your  steps  and  theirs.  The  Pasha 
of  Aulis  shall  continue  at  Bender,  with  a 
regiment  of  spahis  and  another  of  janissaries, 
to  defend  it  in  your  absence.  Now,  by  follow 
ing  our  Imperial  orders  and  wishes  in  all  these 
points  and  details,  you  will  earn  the  continu 
ance  of  our  royal  favour,  as  well  as  the  praise 
and  rewards  due  to  all  such  as  observe  them. 

"  Given  at  our  Imperial  residence  of  Constan 
tinople,  the  2nd  day  of  the  month  Cheval, 
1124  of  the  Hegira. " 

While  they  were  waiting  for  the  Sultan's 
answer  the  King  had  written  to  the  Porte,  to 
complain  of  the  supposed  treachery  of  the  Kan. 
But  the  passages  were  well  guarded,  and  the 
ministry  against  him,  so  that  his  letters  never 
reached  the  Sultan.  The  Vizir  would  not  allow 
M.  Desaleurs  to  go  to  Adrianople,  where  the 
Porte  then  was,  lest  he,  as  the  King  of 
Sweden's  agent,  tried  to  thwart  their  design 


246     History  of  Charles  XII 

of  driving  him  away.  Charles,  indignant  at 
seeing  himself  hunted,  as  it  were,  from  the 
Sultan's  territory,  resolved  not  to  stir  a  step. 
He  might  have  asked  to  return  through  German 
territory,  or  to  take  ship  at  the  Black  Sea,  in 
order  to  reach  Marseilles  by  the  Mediterranean, 
but  he  preferred  to  ask  no  favour  and  see  what 
happened. 

When  the  1,200  purses  arrived,  his  treasurer, 
Grothusen,  who  from  long  residence  in 
Turkey  had  learned  to  speak  the  language, 
went  to  the  Pasha  without  an  interpreter, 
hoping  to  get  the  money  from  him,  and  then  to 
form  some  new  intrigue  at  the  Porte,  on  the 
false  supposition  that  the  Swedish  party  would 
at  last  arm  the  Ottoman  Empire  against  the  Czar. 

Grothusen  told  the  Pasha  that  the  King's 
equipage  could  not  be  prepared  without  money. 
"  But,"  said  the  Pasha,  "  we  are  going  to  de 
fray  all  the  expense  of  departure;  your  master 
will  have  no  expenses  while  he  continues 
under  the  protection  of  mine."  Grothusen 
replied  that  the  difference  between  the  Turkish 
equipages  and  those  of  the  Franks  was  so 
great  that  they  must  apply  to  the  Swedish  and 
Polish  workmen  at  Varnitsa. 

He  assured  him  that  his  master  was  ready  to 
go  and  that  this  money  would  facilitate  and 
hasten  his  departure.  The  too  credulous  Pasha 
gave  him  the  1,200  purses,  and  in  a  few  days 
came  and  respectfully  asked  the  King  to  give 
orders  for  his  departure. 


History  of  Charles  XII     247 

He  was  most  surprised  when  the  King  told 
him  he  was  not  ready  to  go  and  that  he  wanted 
1,000  purses  more.  The  Pasha  was  overcome 
by  this,  and  remained  speechless  for  some  time; 
then  he  walked  to  a  window,  where  he  was 
seen  to  shed  some  tears.  Then,  turning  to  the 
King,  he  said,  "  I  shall  lose  my  head  for  having 
obliged  your  Majesty.  I  have  given  you  the 
1,200  purses  contrary  to  the  express  orders  of 
my  sovereign."  With  these  words  he  took 
leave  and  was  going  away  full  of  grief. 

The  King  stopped  him  and  told  him  he  would 
excuse  him  to  the  Sultan.  "  Ah  !"  replied  the 
Turk,  "  my  master  can  punish  mistakes,  but 
not  excuse  them." 

Ishmael  Pasha  went  to  tell  the  news  to  the 
Kan  of  Tartary.  The  Kan,  having  received 
the  same  order  as  the  Pasha,  not  to  let  the 
1,200  purses  be  delivered  before  the  King's 
departure,  and  having  agreed  to  their  delivery, 
was  as  apprehensive  of  the  Sultan's  resentment 
as  the  Pasha  himself.  They  both  wrote  to  the 
Porte  to  clear  themselves,  and  explained  that 
they  had  only  parted  with  the  1,200  purses  on 
a  solemn  promise  made  by  the  King's  minister 
that  they  would  go  at  once,  and  they  entreated 
his  Highness  not  to  attribute  the  King's  refusal 
to  their  disobedience. 

Charles,  quite  convinced  that  the  Kan  and 
the  Pasha  intended  to  hand  him  over  to  his 
enemies,  ordered  M.  Funk,  his  envoy  at  the 
Ottoman  Court,  to  lay  his  complaints  against 


248     History  of  Charles  XII 

them  before  the  Sultan  and  to  ask  for  1,000 
purses  more.  His  great  generosity,  and  his 
indifference  to  money,  hindered  him  from  see 
ing  the  baseness  of  this  proposal.  He  only 
did  it  to  get  a  refusal  so  that  then  he  might 
have  a  fresh  pretext  for  failing  to  depart ;  but 
a  man  must  be  reduced  to  great  straits  when 
he  has  recourse  to  such  tricks.  Savari,  his 
interpreter,  a  crafty  and  enterprising  character, 
carried  the  letter  to  Adrianople  in  spite  of 
the  Grand  Vizir's  care  to  have  the  roads 
guarded.  Funk  was  forced  to  go  and  deliver 
this  dangerous  message,  and  all  the  answer  he 
got  was  imprisonment. 

Thoroughly  angry,  the  Sultan  called  an  extra 
ordinary  Divan  and  made  a  speech  at  it  him 
self.  His  speech,  according  to  the  translation 
then  made  of  it,  was  as  follows — 

"  I  hardly  knew  the  King  of  Sweden,  but 
from  his  defeat  at  Pultawa  and  the  request  he 
made  to  me  to  grant  him  sanctuary  in  my 
empire.  I  am  under  no  obligation  to  him,  nor 
have  I  any  reason  either  to  love  or  fear  him; 
yet,  thinking  only  of  the  hospitality  of  a 
Mussulman  and  my  own  generosity,  which  sheds 
the  dew  of  its  favour  on  small  and  great  alike, 
I  received  and  aided  him,  his  ministers,  officers 
and  soldiers,  in  every  respect,  and  for  three 
years  and  a  half  have  continually  loaded  him 
with  presents. 

"  I  have  granted  him  a  considerable  guard  to 
take  him  to  his  own  country.  He  has  asked 


History  of  Charles  XII     249 

for  1,000  purses  to  defray  expenses,  though  I 
am  paying-  them  all,  and  instead  of  1,000  I 
have  granted  him  1,200.  After  getting  these 
from  the  serasquier  of  Bender  he  wants  1,000 
more,  and  refuses  to  go  under  the  pretext  that 
the  guard  is  too  small,  whereas  it  is  too  large 
to  pass  through  the  country  of  a  friend  and 
ally.  I  ask  you,  then,  is  it  any  breach  of  the 
laws  of  hospitality  to  send  this  prince  away, 
and  whether  foreign  princes  would  have  any 
ground  for  accusing  me  of  cruelty  and  injustice 
if  I  used  force  to  make  him  go?" 

All  the  Divan  answered  that  the  Sultan  might 
lawfully  do  as  he  said. 

The  Mufti  declared  that  Mussulmans  are 
not  bound  to  offer  hospitality  to  infidels,  much 
less  to  the  ungrateful,  and  he  granted  his 
festa,  a  kind  of  mandate,  which  generally 
accompanies  the  Sultan's  important  orders. 
These  festas  are  revered  as  oracles,  though  the 
persons  who  issue  them  are  as  much  the 
Sultan's  slaves  as  any  others. 

The  order  and  the  festa  were  taken  to  Bender 
by  the  Master  of  the  Horse  and  the  first  Usher. 
The  Pasha  of  Bender  received  the  order  at  the 
Kan's,  whence  he  went  at  once  to  the  Varnitsa 
to  ask  if  the  King  would  go  away  in  a  friendly 
way,  or  would  force  him  to  carry  out  the 
Sultan's  orders. 

Charles  XII,  not  being  used  to  this  threaten 
ing  language,  could  not  command  his  temper. 
"  Obey  your  master  if  you  dare,"  he  said, 


250     History  of  Charles  XII 

"  and  begone."  The  Pasha  in  indignation  set 
off  at  a  gallop,  an  unusual  thing  with  a  Turk. 
On  the  return  journey  he  met  M.  Fabricius, 
and  called  out  to  him  without  stopping,  "  The 
King  won't  listen  to  reason;  you'll  see  strange 
doings  presently."  The  same  day  he  cut  off 
the  King's  supplies  and  removed  the  guard  of 
janissaries.  He  also  sent  to  the  Poles  and 
Cossacks  to  let  them  know  that  if  they  wanted 
to  get  any  provisions  they  must  leave  the  King 
of  Sweden's  camp  and  come  and  put  them 
selves  under  the  protection  of  the  Porte  at 
Bender. 

They  all  obeyed  and  left  the  King,  with 
only  the  officers  of  his  household  and  300 
Swedes,  to  cope  with  2,000  Tartars  and  6,000 
Turks.  There  was  now  no  more  provision  in 
the  camp  for  man  or  beast.  The  King  at  once 
gave  orders  that  the  twenty  fine  Arabian  horses 
they  had  given  him  should  be  shot,  saying, 
"  I  will  have  neither  their  food  nor  their 
horses."  This  made  a  great  feast  for  the 
Tartars,  who,  as  every  one  knows,  think  that 
horse-flesh  is  delicious.  In  the  meantime  the 
Turks  and  Tartars  invested  the  little  camp  on 
all  sides. 

The  King,  with  no  signs  of  panic,  appointed 
his  300  Swedes  to  make  regular  fortifications, 
and  worked  at  them  himself.  His  chancellor, 
treasurer,  secretaries,  valets,  and  all  his  ser 
vants,  lent  a  hand  to  the  work.  Some  barri 
caded  the  windows,  others  took  the  bars 


History  of  Charles  XII     251 

behind  the  doors  and  placed  them  like  but 
tresses. 

When  the  house  was  well  barricaded,  and 
the  King  had  reviewed  his  pretences  at  fortifi 
cations,  he  began  to  play  chess  unconcernedly 
with  his  favourite  Grothusen,  as  if  everything 
had  been  perfectly  safe  and  secure.  It  hap 
pened  very  luckily  that  Fabricius,  the  envoy  of 
Holstein,  did  not  lodge  at  Varnitsa,  but  at  a 
small  village  between  Varnitsa  and  Bender, 
where  Mr.  Jeffreys,  the  English  envoy  to  the 
King  of  Sweden,  lived  also.  These  two  minis 
ters,  seeing  that  the  storm  was  about  to  break, 
undertook  to  mediate  between  the  Turks  and 
the  King.  The  Kan,  and  especially  the  Pasha 
of  Bender,  who  had  no  intention  of  hurting  the 
monarch,  were  glad  of  the  offers  of  their 
services.  They  had  two  conferences  together 
at  Bender,  at  which  the  Usher  of  the  seraglio, 
and  the  Grand  Master  of  the  Horse,  who  had 
brought  the  order  from  the  Sultan,  were 
present. 

M.  Fabricius  owned  to  them  that  the 
Swedish  King  had  good  reason  to  believe  that 
they  intended  to  give  him  up  to  his  enemies  in 
Poland.  The  Kan,  the  Pasha,  and  the  rest, 
swore  on  their  heads,  calling  God  to  witness, 
that  they  detested  the  thought  of  such  a 
horrible  piece  of  treachery,  and  would  shed 
the  last  drop  of  their  blood  rather  than 
show  the  least  lack  of  respect  to  the  King  in 
Poland. 


252     History  of  Charles  XII 

They  added  that  they  had  the  Russian  and 
Polish  ambassadors  in  their  power,  and  that 
their  lives  should  answer  for  the  least  affront 
offered  to  the  King  of  Sweden.  In  a  word, 
they  complained  bitterly  of  the  outrageous 
suspicions  which  the  King-  was  harbouring 
about  people  who  had  received  and  treated  him 
so  well.  And  though  oaths  are  often  the  lan 
guage  of  treachery,  M.  Fabricius  allowed  him 
self  to  be  persuaded  by  these  barbarians.  He 
thought  he  saw  that  air  of  truth  in  their  pro 
tests  which  falsehood  imitates  but  lamely;  he 
knew  that  there  was  a  secret  correspondence 
between  the  Tartar  Kan  and  Augustus,  but  he 
remained  convinced  that  the  object  of  this 
negotiation  was  only  to  force  Charles  to  retire 
from  the  territories  of  the  Sultan. 

But  whether  Fabricius  was  mistaken  or  not 
he  assured  them  that  he  would  represent  to  the 
King  the  unreasonableness  of  his  jealousies. 
"  But  do  you  intend  to  force  him  to  go?"  he 
added.  "  Yes,"  answered  the  Pasha,  "  such  are 
our  master's  orders."  Then  he  desired  them 
to  consider  again  whether  that  order  was  to 
spill  the  blood  of  a  crowned  head.  "Yes," 
answered  the  Kan  with  warmth,  "  if  that  head 
disobeys  the  Sultan  in  his  own  dominions." 

In  the  meantime  everything  was  ready  for 
the  assault,  and  Charles's  death  seemed  inevit 
able;  but  as  the  Sultan's  command  was  not 
positively  to  kill  him  in  case  of  resistance,  the 
Pasha  prevailed  on  the  Kan  to  send  a  mes- 


History  of  Charles  XII     253 

senger  that  moment  to  Adrianople,  to  receive 
his  Highness's  final  orders. 

Mr.  Jeffreys  and  M.  Fabricius,  having  got 
this  respite,  hurried  to  acquaint  the  King  with 
it.  They  hastened  like  bearers  of  good  news, 
and  were  received  very  coldly;  he  called  them 
forward,  meddling  mediators,  and  still  insisted 
that  the  Sultan's  order  and  the  Mufti's  festa 
were  forged,  because  they  had  sent  for  fresh 
orders  to  the  Porte.  The  English  minister  with 
drew,  resolving  to  trouble  himself  no  further 
with  the  affairs  of  so  obstinate  a  prince.  M. 
Fabricius,  a  favourite  of  the  King,  and  more 
accustomed  to  his  whims  than  the  English 
minister,  stayed  with  him,  to  exhort  him  not 
to  risk  so  valuable  a  life  on  so  futile  an 
occasion. 

The  only  reply  the  King  made  was  to  show 
him  his  fortifications  and  to  beg  him  to 
mediate  so  far  as  to  obtain  provisions  for  him. 
Leave  was  easily  obtained  from  the  Turks  to 
let  provisions  pass  into  the  King's  camp  till 
the  couriers  should  return  from  Adrianople. 
The  Kan  himself  had  forbidden  the  Tartars  to 
make  any  attempt  on  the  Swedes  till  a  new 
order  came;  so  that  Charles  went  out  of  his 
camp  sometimes  with  forty  horse,  and  rode 
through  the  midst  of  the  Tartar  troops,  who 
respectfully  left  him  a  free  passage;  he  even 
marched  right  up  to  their  lines,  and  they  did 
not  resist,  but  opened  to  him. 

At  last  the  Sultan's  order  arrived  with  com- 


254     History  of  Charles  XII 

mand  to  put  to  the  sword  all  the  Swedes  who 
made  the  least  resistance,  and  not  to  spare  the 
King's  life;  the  Pasha  had  the  civility  to  show 
the  order  to  M.  Fabricius,  that  he  might  make 
a  last  effort  with  Charles.  Fabricius  went  at 
once  to  tell  him  his  bad  news.  "  Have  you 
seen  the  order  you  refer  to?"  said  the  King. 
"I  have,"  replied  Fabricius.  "  Tell  them," 
said  the  King,  "  from  me  that  this  order  is  a 
second  forgery  of  theirs,  and  that  I  will  not 
go."  Fabricius  fell  at  his  feet  in  a  transport  of 
rage,  and  scolded  him  for  his  obstinacy.  "  Go 
back  to  your  Turks,"  said  the  King,  smiling  at 
him;  "if  they  attack  me,  I  know  how  to 
defend  myself." 

The  King's  chaplains  also  fell  on  their  knees 
before  him,  beseeching  him  not  to  expose  the 
wretched  remnant  over  from  Pultawa,  and 
above  all,  his  own  sacred  person,  to  death; 
adding,  besides,  that  resistance  in  this  case  was 
a  most  unwarrantable  deed,  and  that  it  was  a 
violation  of  the  laws  of  hospitality  to  resolve 
to  stay  against  their  will  with  strangers  who 
had  so  long  and  generously  supported  him. 
The  King,  who  had  showed  no  resentment  with 
Fabricius,  became  angry  on  this  occasion,  and 
told  his  priests  that  he  employed  them  to  pray 
for  him,  and  not  to  give  him  advice. 

General  Hoord  and  General  Dardoff,  who 
had  always  been  against  venturing  a  battle 
which  in  the  result  must  prove  fatal,  showed 
the  King  their  breasts,  covered  with  wounds 


History  of  Charles  XII     255 

received  in  his  service,  and  assured  him  that 
they  were  ready  to  die  for  him,  and  begged  him 
that  it  might  be  on  a  more  worthy  occasion. 

"  I  know,"  said  the  King,  "by  my  wounds 
and  yours  that  we  have  fought  valiantly  to 
gether.  You  have  hitherto  done  your  duty ;  do 
it  again  now." 

The  only  thing  remaining  was  to  obey ;  they 
were  all  ashamed  not  to  seek  death  with  their 
King.  He  prepared  for  the  assault,  secretly 
gloating  over  the  pleasure  and  honour  of  resist 
ing  with  300  Swedes  the  efforts  of  a  whole 
army.  He  gave  every  man  his  place ;  his 
chancellor,  Mullern,  his  secretary,  Empreus, 
and  the  clerks  were  to  defend  the  Chancery 
house ;  Baron  Fief,  at  the  head  of  the  officers  of 
the  kitchen,  was  to  defend  another  post;  the 
grooms  of  the  stables  and  the  cooks  had 
another  place  to  guard,  for  with  him  every 
man  was  a  soldier.  He  rode  from  his  forti 
fications  to  his  house,  promising  rewards  to 
every  one,  creating  officers,  and  declaring  that 
he  would  make  his  humblest  servant  captain 
if  he  behaved  with  valour  in  the  engagement. 

It  was  not  long  before  they  saw  the  Turks 
and  Tartars  advancing  to  attack  the  little 
fortress  with  ten  cannon  and  two  mortars. 
The  horse-tails  waved  in  the  air,  the  clarions 
brayed,  and  cries  of  "Alia,  Alia,"  were  heard 
on  all  sides.  Baron  Grothusen  remarked  that 
they  were  not  abusing  the  King  as  they  shouted, 
but  only  calling  him  "  demirbash,"  i.e.  iron- 


256     History  of  Charles  XII 

head ;  so  he  resolved  to  go  alone  and  unarmed 
out  of  the  fort.  He  advanced  to  the  line  of 
the  janissaries,  who  had  almost  all  of  them 
received  money  from  him.  "  What,  my 
friends,"  he  said  in  their  own  language,  "  have 
you  come  to  massacre  300  defenceless  Swedes  ? 
You  brave  janissaries,  who  have  pardoned 
100,000  Russians,  when  they  cried  Amman 
(pardon)  to  you,  have  you  forgotten  the  kind 
ness  you  have  received  at  our  hands?  And 
would  you  assassinate  the  King  of  Sweden 
whom  you  loved  so  much,  and  who  has  been 
so  generous  to  you?  My  friends,  he  asks  only 
three  days,  and  the  Sultan's  orders  are  not 
so  strict  as  they  would  make  you  believe." 

These  words  had  an  effect  which  Grothusen 
himself  had  not  expected ;  the  janissaries  swore 
on  their  beards  that  they  would  not  attack 
the  King,  and  would  give  him  the  three  days 
that  he  demanded.  In  vain  was  the  signal 
given  for  assault.  The  janissaries,  far  from 
obeying,  threatened  to  turn  their  arms  against 
their  leaders  if  three  days  were  not  granted 
to  the  King  of  Sweden.  They  came  to  the 
Pasha  of  Bender's  tent  in  a  band,  crying 
that  the  Sultan's  orders  were  forged.  To  this 
sedition  the  Pasha  could  oppose  nothing  but 
patience. 

He  pretended  to  be  pleased  with  the  gener 
ous  resolve  of  the  janissaries,  and  ordered  them 
to  retreat  to  Bender.  The  Kan  of  Tartary, 
who  was  a  passionate  man,  would  have  made 


History  of  Charles  XII     257 

the  assault  at  once  with  his  own  troops ;  but 
the  Pasha,  who  would  not  allow  the  Tartars 
alone  to  have  the  honour  of  taking  the  King- 
while  he  might  perhaps  be  punished  for  the 
disobedience  of  his  janissaries,  persuaded  the 
Kan  to  wait  till  next  day. 

The  Pasha  returning  to  Bender,  assembled 
all  the  officers  of  the  janissaries,  and  the  older 
soldiers ;  he  read  them  and  showed  them  the 
positive  command  of  the  Sultan,  and  the  man 
date  of  the  Mufti.  Sixty  of  the  oldest  of  them, 
with  venerable  grey  beards,  who  had  received 
innumerable  presents  from  the  King,  proposed 
to  go  to  him  in  person,  and  entreat  him  to  put 
himself  into  their  hands,  and  permit  them  to 
serve  him  as  guards. 

The  Pasha  consented ;  for  there  was  no  stone 
he  would  leave  unturned  rather  than  be  forced 
to  kill  the  King.  So  these  sixty  old  soldiers 
went  next  morning  to  Varnitsa,  having  nothing 
in  their  hands  but  long  white  staves,  their 
only  weapon  when  they  intend  not  to  fight;  for 
the  Turks  consider  it  a  barbarous  custom  of  the 
Christians  to  wear  swords  in  time  of  peace, 
and  to  go  armed  to  the  churches  or  the  houses 
of  friends. 

They  addressed  themselves  to  Baron  Grot- 
husen  and  Chancellor  Mullern;  they  told  them 
that  they  had  come  with  the  intention  of  serv 
ing  as  faithful  guards  to  the  King,  and  that  if 
he  pleased  they  would  conduct  him  to  Adrian- 
ople,  where  he  might  speak  to  the  Sultan  in 

s 


258     History  of  Charles  XII 

person.  While  they  were  making  the  proposal 
the  King  read  the  letters  that  had  come  from 
Constantinople  and  that  Fabricius,  who  could 
not  see  him  again,  had  sent  to  him  privately  by 
a  janissary.  These  letters  were  from  Count 
Poniatowski,  who  could  neither  serve  him  at 
Bender  nor  at  Adrianople,  having  been  detained 
at  Constantinople  by  the  Czar's  order,  from 
the  time  of  the  imprudent  demand  of  1,000 
purses.  He  told  the  King  that  the  Sultan's 
order  to  seize  his  royal  person  was  only  too 
true,  that  the  Sultan  was  indeed  imposed  upon 
by  his  ministers;  but  that  the  more  he  was 
imposed  upon  in  the  matter  the  more  he  would 
be  obeyed,  that  he  must  submit  to  the  times 
and  yield  to  necessity,  and  that  he  took  the 
liberty  of  advising  him  to  attempt  all  that  was 
possible  in  the  way  of  negotiation  with  the 
ministers,  not  to  be  inflexible  in  a  case  where 
the  gentlest  methods  would  prevail,  and  to 
trust  to  time  and  diplomacy  the  healing  of  an 
evil  which  rough  handling  would  aggravate 
beyond  the  hope  of  recovery. 

But  neither  the  proposal  of  the  old  janis 
saries  nor  Poniatowski 's  letters  could  in  the 
least  convince  the  King  that  it  was  possible  for 
him  to  give  way  without  injuring  his  honour; 
he  would  rather  die  by  the  hands  of  the  Turks 
than  be  in  any  sense  their  prisoner.  He  dis 
missed  the  janissaries  without  seeing  them, 
sending  them  word  that  if  they  did  not  hurry 
he  would  shave  their  beards  for  them,  which 


History  of  Charles  XII     259 

in  the  East  is  considered  the  most  provoking 
affront  that  can  be  offered. 

The  old  soldiers,  in  a  rage,  returned  home, 
crying,  "  Down  with  this  iron-head.     Since  he 
is  resolved  to  die,   let  him."     They  gave  the 
Pasha   an   account  of  their  mission,   and   told 
their  comrades  at  Bender  of  the  strange  recep 
tion   they   had    met   with.     Then   all   swore   to 
obey   the   orders  of  the   Pasha  without  delay, 
and   they   were  now  as   eager  for  the  assault 
as     they    had     been  adverse     to    it    the    day 
before.     The   word   was   given   at   once;    they 
marched  up  to  the  entrenchments,  the  Tartars 
were   already   waiting   for   them,    and   the   ten 
cannon  began  to  play.     The  janissaries  on  one 
side  and  the  Tartars  on  the  other,  forced  this 
little  camp  in  an  instant.     Twenty  Swedes  had 
scarcely   time   to  draw   their   swords,   the   300 
were  surrounded  and  taken  prisoners  without 
resistance.     The  King  was  then  on  horseback 
between  his  house  and  his  camp,  with  Generals 
Hoord,  Dardoff  and  Sparre;  seeing  that  all  his 
soldiers   had   suffered   themselves   to  be   taken 
before  his  eyes,  he  said  with  sangfroid  to  those 
three  officers,  "  Let  us  go  and  defend  the  house. 
We'll  fight,"  he  added  with  a  smile,  "  pro  aris 
et   focis." 

With  them  he  immediately  galloped  up  to 
the  house,  where  he  had  placed  about  forty 
servants  as  sentinels,  and  which  they  had  forti 
fied  as  best  they  could. 

These    generals,    though    they    were    accus- 


260     History  of  Charles  XII 

tomed  to  the  obstinate  courage  of  their  master, 
could  not  but  be  surprised  that  in  cold  blood 
and  in  jest  he  should  propose  that  they  should 
defend  themselves  against  ten  cannon  and  a 
whole  army;  they  followed  him  with  twenty 
guards  and  domestics. 

But  when  they  were  at  the  door,  they  found 
it  besieged  by  janissaries.  Besides,  nearly  200 
Turks  and  Tartars  had  already  got  in  at  a 
window,  and  had  seized  all  the  rooms,  except 
a  great  hall,  whither  the  King's  servants  had 
withdrawn.  Luckily  this  hall  was  near  the 
door  at  which  the  King  intended  entering  with 
his  twenty  men.  He  threw  himself  from  his 
horse,  pistol  and  sword  in  hand,  and  his 
followers  did  the  same. 

The  janissaries  fell  on  him  from  all  sides, 
encouraged  by  the  Pasha's  promise  of  eight 
gold  ducats  to  any  who  did  but  touch  his  coat, 
in  case  they  could  not  take  him.  He  wounded 
and  killed  all  that  came  near  him.  A  janissary, 
whom  he  had  wounded,  stuck  his  musket  in 
the  King's  face,  and  if  the  arm  of  a  Turk  had 
not  jostled  him  in  the  crowd  the  King  would 
have  been  killed.  The  ball  grazed  his  nose, 
and  took  off  a  piece  of  his  ear,  and  then  broke 
the  arm  of  General  Hoord,  whose  fate  it  was 
always  to  be  wounded  at  his  master's  side. 

The  King  stuck  his  sword  into  the  janissary's 
breast,  and  at  the  same  time  his  servants,  who 
were  shut  up  in  the  hall,  opened  the  door  to 
him.  He  and  his  little  troop  slipped  in  as 


History  of  Charles  XII     261 

swiftly  as  an  arrow;  they  closed  the  door  at 
once,  and  barricaded  it  with  all  they  could  find. 
Behold  Charles  shut  up  in  this  hall  with  all 
his  attendants,  about  three-score  men,  officers, 
secretaries,  valets,  and  servants  of  all  kinds  ! 

The  janissaries  and  the  Tartars  pillaged  the 
rest  of  the  house  and  filled  the  rooms. 
"  Come,"  said  the  King,  "  let  us  go  and  drive 
out  these  barbarians."  Then,  putting  himself 
at  the  head  of  his  men,  he,  with  his  own  hands, 
opened  the  door  of  the  hall,  which  opened  into 
his  bedroom,  went  in  and  fired  on  his 
plunderers. 

The  Turks,  laden  with  booty,  terrified  at  the 
sudden  appearance  of  the  King  whom  they 
had  reverenced,  threw  down  their  arms  and 
jumped  out  of  the  window  or  fled  to  the 
cellars.  The  King,  taking  advantage  of  their 
confusion,  and  his  own  men  being  animated 
with  this  piece  of  success,  pursued  the  Turks 
from  room  to  room,  killed  or  wounded  those 
who  had  not  made  their  escape,  and  in  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  cleared  the  house  of  the 
enemy. 

In  the  heat  of  the  combat  the  King  saw  two 
janissaries  who  had  hidden  themselves  under 
his  bed.  He  thrust  one  through,  but  the  other 
asked  pardon,  saying  ' 'Amman."  "I  grant 
you  your  life,"  said  the  King,  "on  condition 
that  you  go  and  give  the  Pasha  a  faithful 
account  of  what  you  have  seen."  The  Turk 
readily  promised  to  do  as  he  was  told,  and 


262     History  of  Charles  XII 

was  then  allowed  to  leap  out  of  the  window 
like  the  others. 

The  Swedes  were  at  last  masters  of  the  house 
again,  and  shut  and  barricaded  the  windows. 
They  did  not  lack  arms,  for  a  room  on  the 
ground  floor,  full  of  muskets  and  powder,  had 
escaped  the  tumultuous  search  of  the  janis 
saries.  This  they  turned  to  good  account, 
firing  close  on  the  Turks  through  the  window, 
and  killing  200  of  them  in  less  than  a  quarter 
of  an  hour. 

The  cannon  played  against  the  house,  but  as 
the  stones  were  very  soft  they  only  made  holes 
in  the  wall,  but  demolished  nothing. 

The  Kan  of  Tartary  and  the  Pasha,  who 
wanted  to  take  the  King  alive,  ashamed  at 
losing  time  and  men,  and  employing  a  whole 
army  against  sixty  persons,  thought  it  expe 
dient  to  fire  the  house  in  order  to  force  the  King 
to  surrender;  they  had  arrows  twisted  with 
lighted  matches  shot  on  to  the  roof  and  against 
the  door  and  windows ;  by  this  means  the 
whole  house  was  soon  in  flames ;  the  roof,  all 
in  flames,  was  about  to  fall  on  the  Swedes. 
The  King  quietly  gave  orders  for  extinguish 
ing  the  fire,  and  finding  a  small  barrel  full  of 
liquor  he  took  hold  of  it  himself,  and  with  the 
help  of  two  Swedes,  threw  it  on  the  place 
where  the  fire  was  most  violent.  Then  he 
found  that  it  was  full  of  brandy.  The  fire 
burned  more  furiously  than  ever,  the  King's 
room  was  burned,  and  the  great  hall,  where 


History  of  Charles  XII     263 

the  Swedes  were  then,  was  filled  with  terrible 
smoke  mingled  with  tongues  of  flame,  that 
came  in  through  the  doors  of  the  next  rooms. 
Half  the  roof  fell  in,  and  the  other  had  fallen 
outside  the  house,  cracking  among  the  flames. 

A  guard  called  Walberg  ventured,  when 
things  had  got  to  this  pass,  to  say  that  they 
must  surrender.  "  What  a  strange  man  this 
is,"  said  the  King,  "  to  imagine  that  it  is  not 
more  glorious  to  be  burned  than  to  be  taken 
prisoner."  Another  guard,  called  Rosen,  re 
marked  that  the  Chancery-house,  which  was 
only  fifty  paces  away,  had  a  stone  roof,  and 
was  fire-proof ;  that  they  might  well  sally  out, 
gain  that  house,  and  there  stand  on  the  defen 
sive. 

"A  true  Swede,"  cried  the  King;  then  he 
embraced  him  and  made  him  a  colonel  on  the 
spot.  "  Come  on,  my  friends,"  he  said,  "  take 
all  the  powder  and  ball  you  can  carry,  and  let 
us  gain  Chancery,  sword  in  hand."  The 
Turks,  who  were  all  this  while  round  the 
house,  were  struck  with  fear  and  admiration 
at  seeing  that  the  Swedes  were  staying  inside 
in  spite  of  the  flames.  But  they  were  much 
more  astonished  when  they  saw  them  open 
the  doors,  and  the  King  and  his  men  fall  on 
them  desperately.  Charles  and  his  leading 
officer  were  armed  with  sword  and  pistol. 
Every  one  fired  two  pistols  at  a  time  at  the 
instant  that  the  door  opened,  and  in  a  flash 
throwing  away  their  pistols,  and  drawing  their 


264     History  of  Charles  XII 

swords,  they  drove  back  the  Turks  fifty  paces; 
but  the  next  moment  the  little  band  was  sur 
rounded. 

The  King-,  booted  according  to  custom,  got 
his  spurs  entangled  and  fell.  At  once  one- 
and-twenty  janissaries  fell  on  him,  disarmed 
him,  and  took  him  away  to  the  quarters  of  the 
Pasha,  some  holding  his  arms  and  others  his 
legs,  as  a  sick  man  is  carried  for  fear  of  in 
commoding  him. 

As  soon  as  the  King  saw  himself  in  their 
hands,  the  violence  of  his  rage  and  the  fury 
which  so  long  and  desperate  a  fight  had 
naturally  inspired,  gave  way  to  gentleness  and 
calm ;  not  one  impatient  word  escaped  him, 
not  one  frown  was  to  be  seen.  He  smiled  at 
the  janissaries,  and  they  carried  him,  crying 
"  Alia,"  with  mingled  indignation  and  respect. 
His  officers  were  taken  at  the  same  time,  and 
stripped  by  the  Turks  and  Tartars.  This 
strange  adventure  happened  on  the  i2th  of 
February,  1713.  It  had  extraordinary  conse 
quences. 


BOOK   VII 


BOOK    VII 

The  Turks  remove  Charles  to  Demirtash — King  Stanis 
las  is  seized  at  the  same  time — Bold  action  of  M. 
de  Villelongue — Revolutions  in  the  seraglio — Battles 
in  Pomerania — Altena  is  burnt  by  the  Swedes — 
Charles  returns  to  his  kingdom  —  His  strange 
method  of  travelling — His  arrival  at  Straelsund — 
The  state  of  Europe  at  that  time — The  losses  of 
King  Charles — The  successes  of  Peter  the  Great — 
His  triumphal  entry  into  Petersburg. 

THE  Pasha  of  Bender  waited  in  state  in  his 
tent,  with  a  certain  Marco  for  interpreter,  ex 
pecting  the  King.  He  received  him  with  great 
respect,  and  asked  him  to  rest  on  a  sofa ;  but 
the  King  disregarded  his  civilities  and  continued 
standing. 

"  Blessed  be  the  Almighty,"  said  the  Pasha, 
"  that  your  Majesty  is  safe.  I  am  grieved  that 
you  have  forced  me  to  execute  the  Sultan's 
orders."  The  King,  on  the  other  hand,  was 
only  vexed  that  his  300  men  had  allowed 
themselves  to  be  taken  in  their  entrenchments, 
and  said,  "Ah!  if  they  had  fought  like  men 
we  should  have  held  out  these  ten  days." 
"  Alas,"  said  the  Pasha,  "  what  a  pity  that  so 
much  courage  should  be  misapplied."  Then 
the  King  was  taken  on  a  fine  horse  with  magni 
ficent  trappings  to  Bender.  All  the  Swedes 
were  either  killed  or  taken  prisoners.  The 
King's  equipage,  furniture  and  papers,  and  the 
most  needful  of  his  clothes  were  pillaged  or 
267 


268     History  of  Charles  XII 

burned;  on  the  roads  the  Swedish  officers, 
almost  naked  and  chained  in  pairs,  followed 
the  horses  of  the  Tartars  and  janissaries.  The 
Chancellor  and  the  general  officers  were  in  the 
same  condition,  becoming  slaves  to  those  of  the 
soldiers  to  whose  share  they  fell. 

The  Pasha  Ishmael,  having  brought  the  King 
to  his  seraglio  at  Bender,  gave  him  his  own 
room,  where  he  was  served  in  state,  but  not 
without  a  guard  of  janissaries  at  the  room 
door.  They  prepared  a  bed  for  him,  but  he 
threw  himself  down  on  a  sofa  in  his  boots,  and 
fell  fast  asleep.  An  officer  in  waiting  near  by 
put  a  cap  on  his  head;  the  King  threw  it  off 
directly  he  awaked,  and  the  Turk  was  amazed 
to  see  a  king  sleeping  on  a  sofa  in  his  boots 
and  bare-headed.  In  the  morning  Ishmael 
brought  Fabricius  to  the  King,  and  when  he 
saw  his  Prince's  clothes  all  rent,  his  boots,  his 
hands,  and  his  whole  person  covered  with 
blood  and  dust,  his  eyebrows  scorched,  yet 
even  in  this  state  smiling,  he  threw  himself  on 
his  knees  unable  to  speak ;  but,  soon  reassured 
by  the  natural  and  gentle  manner  of  the  King, 
he  resumed  his  ordinary  familiarity,  and  they 
began  to  make  sport  of  the  battle. 

"  They  tell  me,"  said  Fabricius,  "  that  your 
Majesty  killed  no  fewer  than  twenty  janis 
saries.1'  "No,  no,"  said  the  King,  "  you 
know  a  story  always  grows  in  the  telling." 
In  the  midst  of  the  conversation  the  Pasha 
brought  to  the  King  his  favourite  Grothusen 


History  of  Charles  XII     269 

and  Colonel  Ribbins,  whom  he  had  generously 
ransomed  at  his  own  expense.  Fabricius 
undertook  to  ransom  all  the  other  prisoners. 

Jeffreys,  the  English  ambassador,  helped  him 
with  money,  and  La  Mottraye,  the  French 
noble  who  had  come  to  Bender  from  curiosity 
to  see  him,  and  who  has  written  some  account 
of  these  matters,  gave  all  he  had.  These 
strangers,  assisted  by  the  Czar's  advice  and 
money,  redeemed  all  the  officers  and  their 
clothes  from  the  Tartars  and  Turks. 

Next  morning  they  took  the  King  in  a  chariot 
decked  with  scarlet  to  Adrianople,  and  his 
treasurer  Grothusen  was  with  him ;  the  Chan 
cellor  Mullern  and  some  officers  followed  in 
another  carriage.  Many  others  were  on  horse 
back,  and  could  not  restrain  tears  at  the  sight 
of  the  King's  chariot.  The  Pasha  commanded 
the  escort.  Fabricius  remarked  that  it  was  a 
shame  that  the  King  had  no  sword.  "  God  for 
bid,"  said  the  Pasha;  "he  would  soon  be  at 
our  throats  if  he  had  a  sword."  But  some 
hours  after  he  had  one  given  to  him. 

While  they  were  carrying,  disarmed  and  a 
captive,  the  King  who  had  shortly  before  dic 
tated  to  so  many  countries,  and  been  arbiter  of 
the  North  and  the  terror  of  all  Europe,  there 
occurred  in  the  same  neighbourhood  another 
instance  of  the  frailty  of  human  greatness. 
King  Stanislas,  seized  in  the  Turkish  domin 
ions,  was  being  taken  prisoner  to  Bender  at 
the  same  time  as  Charles  was  being  taken  to 


270     History  of  Charles  XII 

Adrianople.  Stanislas,  without  support  from 
the  hand  that  had  made  him  king,  having  no 
money,  and  so  no  friends  in  Poland,  retired 
to  Pomerania,  and  as  he  was  not  able  to  keep 
his  own  kingdom  had  done  his  best  to  defend 
his  benefactor's. 

He  even  went  to  Sweden  to  hasten  the 
recruits  needed  in  Livonia  and  Poland ;  he  did 
all  that  could  be  expected  of  him  as  friend  to 
the  King  of  Sweden.  At  this  time  the  first 
King  of  Prussia,  a  very  wise  prince,  justly 
uneasy  at  the  near  neighbourhood  of  the 
Russians,  planned  to  league  with  Augustus  and 
the  Polish  republic  to  dismiss  the  Russians  to 
their  own  country,  and  to  get  Charles  himself 
to  share  in  the  project.  There  would  be  three 
great  results  from  such  a  course  :  the  peace  of 
the  North,  the  restoration  of  Charles  to  his 
estates,  and  a  barrier  erected  against  the 
Russians,  who  were  becoming  formidable  to 
Europe.  The  preliminary  of  this  treaty,  on 
which  the  tranquillity  of  the  republic  depended, 
was  the  abdication  of  Stanislas ;  Stanislas  not 
only  agreed,  but  he  undertook  to  carry  through 
a  peace  which  deprived  him  of  the  throne : 
necessity,  the  public  good,  the  glory  of  sacrifice, 
and  the  interests  of  Charles,  to  whom  he  owed 
so  much,  decided  him. 

He  wrote  to  Bender,  explaining  to  the  King 
the  position  of  affairs,  the  evils  and  their 
remedies.  He  besought  him  not  to  oppose  an 
abdication  which  was  necessary  under  the  cir- 


History  of  Charles  XII     271 

cumstances,  and  which  was  to  take  place  from 
honourable  motives ;  he  begged  him  not  to 
sacrifice  the  interests  of  Sweden  to  those  of 
an  unhappy  friend,  who  would  rather  sacrifice 
himself  for  the  public  good. 

Charles  XII  received  the  letters  at  Varnitsa, 
and  said,  in  a  rage,  to  the  courier,  before  many 
people,  "  Well,  if  he  will  not  be  a  king  I  shall 
find  some  one  else."  Stanislas  insisted  on  the 
sacrifice  that  Charles  refused  to  accept ;  he 
wished  to  go  himself  to  persuade  Charles,  and 
he  risked  more  in  the  losing  of  a  throne  than 
he  had  done  to  gain  it.  He  stole  away  at 
nine  one  night  from  the  Swedish  army,  which 
he  was  commanding  in  Pomerania,  and  started 
with  Baron  Sparre,  who  was  afterwards 
the  Swedish  ambassador  to  England  and 
France,  and  another  colonel.  He  took  the 
name  of  a  Frenchman  called  Haran,  then  major 
in  the  King  of  Sweden's  army  and  since  killed 
at  Dantzig.  He  passed  round  the  whole  of 
the  hostile  army,  stopped  several  times,  but 
released  under  a  passport  in  the  name  of 
Haran ;  at  last  he  arrived  after  many  risks  at 
the  Turkish  frontier. 

When  he  reached  Moldavia  he  sent  Baron 
Sparre  back  to  his  army,  believing  himself  safe 
in  a  country  where  the  King  of  Sweden  had 
been  so  honoured ;  he  was  far  from  suspecting 
what  had  happened  since. 

They  inquired  who  he  was,  and  he  said  a 
major  in  Charles's  service.  They  stopped  him 


272     History  of  Charles  XII 

at  the  bare  mention  of  his  name;  he  was 
brought  before  the  hospodar  of  Moldavia,  who, 
already  informed  from  the  newspapers  that 
Stanislas  had  stolen  away,  had  some  inkling 
of  the  truth.  They  had  described  the  King's 
appearance  to  him,  and  it  was  very  easy  to 
recognize  his  pleasant  face  with  its  extra 
ordinary  look  of  sweetness.  The  hospodar 
questioned  him  pointedly,  and  at  last  asked 
what  had  been  his  work  in  the  Swedish  army. 
Stanislas  and  the  hospodar  were  speaking  in 
Latin.  "  Major,"  said  Stanislas.  "  Imo  maxi- 
mus  est,"  replied  the  Moldavian,  and  at  once 
offering  him  an  arm-chair  he  treated  him  like 
a  king,  but  like  a  captive  king,  and  they  kept 
a  strict  watch  outside  the  Greek  convent  where 
he  was  forced  to  stay  till  they  got  the  Sultan's 
orders.  The  order  came  to  take  him  to  Bender, 
whence  they  had  just  removed  Charles. 

The  news  was  brought  to  the  Pasha  as  he 
was  travelling  with  the  King  of  Sweden,  and 
he  told  Fabricius  who,  coming  up  in  a  chariot, 
told  Charles  that  he  was  not  the  only  king 
prisoner  in  Turkey,  and  that  Stanislas  was 
prisoner  a  few  miles  away.  "  Hasten  to  him, 
my  dear  Fabricius,"  said  the  King,  "  and  tell 
him  never  to  make  peace  with  King  Augustus, 
for  we  shall  certainly  have  a  change  of  affairs 
soon." 

Fabricius  had  permission  to  go  with  the 
message  attended  by  a  janissary.  After  some 
miles'  journey  he  met  the  body  of  soldiers  who 


History  of  Charles  XII     273 

were  bringing  Stanislas,  and  addressed  one 
who  rode  in  the  midst,  in  a  Prankish  dress  and 
indifferently  mounted.  He  asked  him  in  Ger 
man  where  the  King  of  Poland  was.  It  proved 
to  be  Stanislas,  whom  he  had  not  recognized  in 
that  disguise.  "  What,"  said  the  King,  "  have 
you  forgotten  me?"  Fabricius  then  told  him 
of  the  King  of  Sweden's  sad  condition,  and  of 
his  unshaken  but  unsuccessful  resolution. 

When  Stanislas  came  to  Bender,  the  Pasha, 
who  was  returning  from  accompanying  Charles, 
sent  the  King  an  Arabian  horse  with  elegant 
trappings.  He  was  received  in  Bender  with 
a  volley  of  artillery,  and,  except  that  he  was  a 
prisoner,  had  no  cause  to  complain  of  his 
treatment  there.  Charles  was  on  the  way  to 
Adrianople  and  the  town  was  full  of  gossip 
about  his  battle.  The  Turks  both  admired  him 
and  thought  him  blame-worthy ;  but  the  Divan 
was  so  exasperated  that  they  threatened  to 
confine  him  in  one  of  the  islands  of  the 
Archipelago. 

Stanislas,  who  did  me  the  honour  of  inform 
ing  me  on  most  of  these  details,  assured  me 
also  that  it  was  proposed  in  the  Divan  that 
he  too  should  be  kept  prisoner  in  one  of  the 
Greek  islands,  but  some  months  later  the  Sultan 
softened  and  let  him  go. 

M.  Desaleurs,  who  could  have  championed 
him  and  prevented  this  affront  to  all  Christian 
kings,  was  at  Constantinople,  as  well  as  Ponia- 
towski,  whose  resourcefulness  was  always 

T 


274     History  of  Charles  XII 

feared.  Most  of  the  Swedes  were  at  Adria- 
nople  in  prison,  and  the  Sultan's  throne  seemed 
inaccessible  to  any  complaints  from  the  King 
of  Sweden. 

The  Marquis  of  Fierville,  a  private  envoy  to 
Charles  at  Bender,  from  France,  was  then  at 
Adrianople,  and  undertook  a  service  to  the 
Prince  at  a  time  when  he  was  either  deserted 
or  ill-used  by  all.  He  was  luckily  helped  in 
this  design  by  a  French  noble  of  good  family, 
a  certain  Villelongue,  a  man  of  great  courage 
and  small  fortune,  who,  fascinated  by  reports 
of  the  King  of  Sweden,  had  come  on  purpose 
to  join  his  service. 

With  the  help  of  this  youth  M.  de  Fierville 
wrote  a  memorial  from  the  King  of  Sweden, 
demanding  justice  of  the  Sultan  for  the  wrong 
offered  in  his  person  to  all  crowned  heads,  and 
against  the  treachery  of  the  Kan  and  the  Pasha 
of  Bender. 

It  accused  the  Vizir  and  other  ministers  of 
having  been  corrupted  by  the  Russians,  of 
having  deceived  the  Sultan,  intercepted  letters, 
and  of  having  employed  trickery  to  get  from 
the  Sultan  an  order  contrary  to  the  hospitality 
of  the  Mussulmans,  in  violation  of  the  laws  of 
nations,  and  this  in  a  manner  so  unworthy  of  a 
great  Emperor,  that  a  king  who  had  none  but 
his  retinue  to  defend  him,  and  who  had  trusted 
the  sacred  word  of  the  Sultan,  was  attacked 
by  20,000  men. 

When  this  memorial  had  been  drawn  up  it 


History  of  Charles  XII     275 

had  to  be  translated  into  Turkish,  and  written 
upon  the  special  paper  used  for  the  Sultan's 
petitions. 

They  tried  to  get  it  done  by  several  inter 
preters,  but  the  King's  affairs  were  at  such  a 
pass,  and  the  Vizir  so  openly  his  enemy,  that 
none  of  them  at  all  would  undertake  it.  At 
last  they  found  a  stranger  whose  hand  was  not 
known,  so  for  a  considerable  fee,  and  a  promise 
of  profound  secrecy,  he  translated  the  memorial 
and  copied  it  on  to  the  right  sort  of  paper. 
Baron  Ardidson  counterfeited  the  King's  hand 
and  Fierville  sealed  it  with  the  arms  of  Sweden. 
Villelongue  undertook  to  deliver  it  to  the 
Sultan  as  he  went  to  the  mosque.  This  had 
been  done  before  by  people  with  grievances 
against  the  ministers,  but  that  made  it  now  the 
more  dangerous  and  difficult. 

The  Vizir  was  certain  that  the  Swedes  would 
seek  justice  from  his  master,  and  knew  from 
the  fate  of  his  predecessors  what  the  probable 
sequel  was.  So  he  forbade  any  one  to  ap 
proach  the  Sultan,  and  ordered  that  any  one 
seen  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Mosque  with 
petitions  should  be  seized. 

Villelongue  knew  the  order,  and  that  he  was 
risking  his  life;  but  he  dressed  as  a  Greek, 
and,  hiding  the  letter  in  his  breast,  went  early 
to  the  place.  He  feigned  madness,  and  danced 
into  the  midst  of  the  two  lines  of  janissaries, 
where  the  Sultan  was  to  pass,  and  now  and 
then  dropped  some  money  to  amuse  the  guards. 


276     History  of  Charles  XII 

When  the  Sultan  was  coming  they  wanted  to 
push  Villelongue  aside ;  he  fell  on  his  knees  and 
struggled  with  the  soldiers.  At  last  his  cap 
blew  off,  and  showed  that  he  was  a  Frank, 
from  his  long  hair  :  he  received  several  blows 
and  was  ill-used. 

The  Sultan  heard  the  scuffle,  and  asked  what 
was  the  matter ;  Villelongue  cried  with  all  his 
might,  "  Amman,  Amman  "  (mercy),  and 
pulled  out  the  letter.  The  Sultan  commanded 
that  he  should  be  brought  before  him.  Ville 
longue  hastened  forward,  and  embracing  his 
stirrup  gave  him  the  paper,  saying,  "  Sued  call 
dan  "  (the  King  of  Sweden  gives  it  to  thee). 
The  Sultan  put  the  letter  in  his  breast,  went  on 
to  the  mosque,  and  Villelongue  was  secured  in 
one  of  the  out-houses  of  the  seraglio. 

The  Sultan  read  the  letter  on  his  return 
from  the  mosque,  and  resolved  to  examine  the 
prisoner  himself.  He  changed  the  Imperial 
coat  and  turban,  and,  as  he  often  does,  took 
the  disguise  of  an  officer  of  janissaries,  and 
took  an  old  Maltese  with  him  as  interpreter. 
Thanks  to  his  disguise  Villelongue  had  a  private 
talk  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour  with  the  Turkish 
Emperor,  an  honour  that  was  never  done  to 
any  other  Christian  ambassador.  He  did  not 
fail  to  detail  all  the  King  of  Sweden's  hard 
ships,  accusing  the  minister  and  demanding 
vengeance  with  the  greater  freedom,  because 
he  was  throughout  the  conversation  talking  to 
the  Sultan  as  to  an  equal.  He  had  recognized 


History  of  Charles  XII     277 

the  Sultan,  although  the  prison  was  very  dark, 
and  this  made  him  the  bolder  in  his  discourse. 
The  seeming  officer  of  the  janissaries  said  to 
him,  "  Christian,  be  assured  that  the  Sultan 
my  master  has  the  soul  of  an  Emperor,  and 
that  if  the  King  of  Sweden  is  in  the  right  he 
will  do  him  justice."  Villelongue  was  soon 
released,  and  some  weeks  after  there  was  a 
sudden  change  in  the  seraglio,  which  the 
Swedes  attribute  to  this  conference.  The 
mufti  were  deprived,  the  Kan  of  Tartary  ban 
ished  to  the  Rhodes,  and  the  serasquier  Pasha 
of  Bender  to  an  island  in  the  Archipelago. 

The  Ottoman  Porte  is  so  subject  to  such 
storms  that  it  is  hard  to  say  whether  this  was 
an  attempt  to  appease  the  King  of  Sweden  or 
not;  his  subsequent  treatment  by  the  Porte 
showed  little  anxiety  to  please  him. 

Ali-Coumourgi,  the  favourite,  was  suspected 
of  having  made  all  these  changes  for  some 
private  ends  of  his  own ;  the  pretext  for  the 
banishment  of  the  Kan  and  the  serasquier  of 
Bender  was  that  they  had  given  the  King 
1,200  purses  against  the  express  orders  of  the 
Sultan.  He  put  on  the  Tartar  throne  the  son 
of  the  deposed  Kan  of  Tartary,  a  young  man 
who  cared  little  for  his  father  and  on  whom  Ali 
counted  for  military  help.  Some  weeks  after 
this  the  Grand  Vizir  Joseph  was  deposed,  and 
the  Pasha  Soliman  was  declared  Prime  Vizir. 

I  must  say  that  M.  de  Villelongue,  and  many 
Swedes,  have  assured  me  that  the  letter  he 


278     History  of  Charles  XII 

gave  was  the  cause  of  these  changes,  but  M. 
de  Fierville  denies  this,  and  I  have  in  other 
cases  met  with  contradictory  accounts.  Now, 
an  historian's  duty  is  to  tell  plain  matter  of 
fact,  without  entering  into  motives,  and  he 
must  relate  just  what  he  knows,  without 
guessing  at  what  he  does  not  know. 

In  the  meantime,  Charles  was  taken  to  a 
little  castle  called  Demirtash,  near  Adrianople. 
Crowds  of  Turks  had  collected  there  to  see  him 
alight.  He  was  carried  on  a  sofa  from  his 
chariot  to  the  castle;  but  to  avoid  being  seen 
by  this  mob  he  covered  his  face  with  a  cushion. 

It  was  several  days  before  the  Porte  would 
consent  to  his  residence  at  Demotica,  a  little 
town  six  leagues  from  Adrianople,  near  the 
river  Hebrus,  now  called  Marizza.  Coumourgi 
said  to  the  Grand  Vizir,  "  Go  and  tell  the  King 
of  Sv/eden  he  can  stay  at  Demotica  all  his 
life.  I  warrant  he  will  ask  to  move  of  his  own 
accord  before  the  year  is  over,  and  be  sure  you 
do  not  let  him  have  a  penny  of  money." 

So  the  King  was  moved  to  the  little  town  of 
Demotica,  where  the  Porte  allowed  him  suffi 
cient  supplies  for  himself  and  his  retinue. 

They  allowed  him  twenty-five  crowns  a  day 
to  buy  pork  and  wine,  a  sort  of  provisions  that 
the  Turks  do  not  supply,  but  as  to  the  allow 
ance  of  five  hundred  crowns  a  day,  which  he 
had  had  at  Bender,  it  was  quite  withdrawn. 
Scarcely  had  he  arrived  at  Demotica  with  his 
small  court  than  the  Grand  Vizir  Soliman  was 


History  of  Charles  XII     279 

deposed ;  his  place  was  given  to  Ibrahim  Molla, 
a  haughty,  bold  and  rough  man. 

He  had  been  a  common  sailor  till  the  acces 
sion  of  Achmet  III.  This  Emperor  often  dis 
guised  himself  as  a  private  citizen,  a  priest,  or 
a  dervish;  he  would  then  slip  in  the  evening  into 
the  cafes  and  other  public  places  of  Constanti 
nople  to  listen  to  what  was  said  of  him,  and 
to  hear  the  people's  opinions  with  his  own  ears. 
One  day  he  heard  this  Molla  finding  fault  with 
the  Turkish  ships  because  they  never  brought 
home  any  prizes,  and  swore  that  were  he  a  cap 
tain  he  would  never  return  home  without  some 
infidel  ship.  The  next  morning  the  Sultan  gave 
him  a  ship  and  sent  him  out  on  a  cruise.  A 
few  days  later  the  Captain  brought  back  a 
Maltese  boat  and  a  Genoese  galley,  and  in 
another  two  years  he  was  Admiral,  and  then 
Grand  Vizir.  He  was  no  sooner  appointed 
than  he  began  to  think  that  he  could  dispense 
with  the  favourite,  and  to  make  himself  indis 
pensable  he  planned  to  make  war  on  the  Rus 
sians  ;  in  order  to  do  so  he  set  up  a  tent  near 
the  castle  where  the  King  of  Sweden  was  living. 

He  invited  the  King  to  meet  him  there  with 
the  new  Kan  of  Tartary  and  the  French  am 
bassador.  The  King's  misfortunes  made  him 
feel  the  indignity  of  being  sent  for  by  a  subject 
the  more;  he  ordered  the  Chancellor  Mollern 
to  go  in  his  place,  and  because  he  feared  that 
the  Turks  might  be  disrespectful,  and  force 
him  to  compromise  his  dignity,  he  resolved  to 


280     History  of  Charles  XII 

stay  in  bed  during  his  stay  at  Demotica.  This 
he  did  for  ten  months,  just  as  if  he  had  been 
ill.  The  Chancellor,  Grothusen,  and  Colonel 
Dubens  were  his  only  table-companions.  They 
had  none  of  the  conveniences  of  the  Franks, 
all  had  been  carried  off  at  Bender,  so  that  their 
meals  lacked  pomp  and  elegance.  They  waited 
on  themselves,  and  Chancellor  Mullern  did  all 
the  cooking  during  that  time. 

While  Charles  was  thus  staying  in  bed,  he 
heard  news  of  the  wreck  of  all  his  foreign 
dominions. 

General  Steinbock,  famous  for  having  driven 
the  Danes  out  of  Scandinavia,  and  for  having 
defeated  their  picked  troops  with  a  band  of 
peasants,  was  still  maintaining  the  credit  of  the 
Swedish  arms.  He  defended  Pomerania,  Bre 
men,  and  the  King's  possessions  in  Germany 
as  long  as  he  could,  but  could  not  prevent  the 
Saxons  and  Danes  united  from  passing  the 
Elbe  and  besieging  Stade,  a  strong  town  near 
that  river,  and  in  the  Duchy  of  Bremen.  It  was 
bombarded  and  burnt  to  ashes,  and  the  garri 
son  was  obliged  to  surrender  at  discretion,  be 
fore  Steinbock  could  come  to  their  assistance. 

He  had  about  10,000  men,  and  half  of  them 
were  cavalry,  with  which  he  pursued  the  enemy, 
though  they  were  twice  his  number,  and  forced 
them  to  recross  the  Elbe.  He  caught  them  at 
a  place  called  Gadebesck,  on  a  small  river  of 
the  same  name,  on  the  2oth  December,  1712. 
The  Saxons  and  Danes  were  posted  with  a 


History  of  Charles  XII     281 

marsh  in  front  and  a  wood  in  the  rear;  they 
had  all  the  advantage  both  in  number  and 
position,  for  there  was  no  getting  at  them  but 
across  the  marsh,  through  the  fire  of  their 
artillery. 

Steinbock  led  on  his  men,  and,  advancing 
in  battle  order,  began  one  of  the  most  bloody 
engagements  that  had  ever  taken  place  be 
tween  those  rival  nations.  After  a  sharp  fight 
of  three  hours'  duration,  the  Danes  and  the 
Saxons  were  forced  back  and  had  to  leave  the 
field. 

After  this  victory  Steinbock  could  not  but 
remember  how  the  Danes  had  reduced  Stade 
to  ashes,  and  resolved  to  avenge  himself  on 
Altena,  a  town  belonging  to  the  King  of  Den 
mark.  Altena  is  above  Hamburg,  on  the  river 
Elbe,  which  brings  up  large  vessels  thither. 
The  King  of  Denmark  had  granted  it  great 
privileges,  in  the  hope  of  making  it  a  place  of 
considerable  trade.  Hamburg  therefore  got 
jealous,  and  wished  nothing  but  their  destruc 
tion.  When  Steinbock  came  within  sight  of 
the  place,  h^  sent  a  herald  to  bid  them  begone 
at  once  with  their  possessions,  for  he  intended 
to  destroy  their  town  immediately. 

The  magistrates  came  and  threw  themselves 
at  his  feet  and  offered  him  a  ransom  of  100,000 
crowns.  Steinbock  said  he  must  have  200,000. 
They  begged  for  time  to  send  to  their  corre 
spondent  at  Hamburg,  and  promised  that  he 
should  have  it  by  the  next  day.  The  General 


282     History  of  Charles  XII 

told  them  that  if  they  did  not  pay  at  once  he 
would  burn  their  town  about  their  ears. 

His  soldiers  were  in  the  suburbs  ready  with 
their  torches  in  their  hands.  The  town  had  no 
defence  but  a  poor  wooden  gate  and  a  dry  ditch ; 
so  that  the  poor  wretches  were  forced  to  flee 
at  midnight.  It  was  on  the  Qth  of  January, 
1713;  the  weather  was  severely  cold,  and  a 
great  north  wind  helped  to  spread  the  flames, 
and  to  increase  the  sufferings  of  the  people 
exposed  in  the  open  fields. 

Men  and  women,  loaded  with  their  property, 
went  weeping  and  lamenting  towards  the 
neighbouring  ice-clad  hills.  Paralytic  old  folk 
were  carried  by  the  young  on  their  shoulders, 
women  just  delivered  were  carrying  their  chil 
dren,  and  died  of  cold  on  the  hillside,  in  sight 
of  their  burning  homes.  The  people  had  not 
all  left  the  town  when  the  Swedes  fired  it.  It 
burned  from  midnight  to  about  ten  the  next 
morning ;  the  houses,  being  mostly  of  wood, 
were  easily  burnt,  so  that  by  morning  there 
was  scarcely  any  trace  of  a  town  left.  The 
aged,  the  sick,  and  the  women  of  delicate 
health,  who  had  refuged  on  the  frozen  ground 
while  their  houses  were  burning,  dragged 
themselves  to  the  gates  of  Hamburg,  and 
begged  that  they  would  let  them  in  and  save 
their  lives,  but  they  were  refused  on  the  ground 
that  there  had  been  infectious  disease  among 
them.  So  that  most  of  these  poor  wretches 
died  under  the  walls,  calling  Heaven  to  witness 


History  of  Charles  XII     283 

the  cruelty  of  the  Swedes,  and  of  the  still 
more  inhuman  Hamburgers. 

All  Germany  was  scandalized  by  this  vio 
lence.  The  ministers  and  generals  of  Poland 
and  Denmark  wrote  to  Steinbock,  complaining 
of  his  cruelty,  which  was  inexcusable  because 
it  was  uncalled  for,  and  must  set  God  and  man 
against  him. 

He  replied  that  he  never  would  have  gone 
to  these  extremities  were  it  not  to  show  his 
master's  enemies  how  war  ought  to  be  made— 
not  like  barbarians,  but  in  consideration  of 
the  laws  of  nations ;  that  they  had  committed 
atrocities  in  Pomerania  to  ruin  that  beautiful 
country,  and  sell  100,000  people  to  the  Turks; 
that  his  torches  at  Altena  were  only  a  fitting 
return  for  the  red-hot  bullets  they  had  used  at 
Stade;  that  it  was  with  such  violence  that  the 
Swedes  and  their  enemies  made  war  on  each 
other.  If  Charles  could  have  appeared  then 
in  Poland,  he  might  possibly  have  retrieved 
his  former  fortune.  His  armies,  though  they 
needed  his  presence  among  them,  were  yet 
actuated  by  his  spirit;  but  when  the  master  is 
away  success  is  seldom  turned  to  good  account. 
Steinbock  gradually  lost  all  that  he  had  gained 
in  those  great  actions,  which  might  have  been 
decisive  at  a  more  fortunate  time. 

With  all  his  success  it  was  not  in  his  power 
to  prevent  the  Russians,  the  Saxons,  and  the 
Danes  from  uniting.  They  seized  his  quarters, 
and  he  lost  several  of  his  men  in  little  skir- 


284     History  of  Charles  XII 

mishes ;  2,000  of  them  were  drowned  in  the 
Oder  as  they  were  going  to  their  winter  quar 
ters  in  Holstein ;  these  were  losses  which  could 
not  be  repaired  in  a  country  where  the  enemy 
was  strong  in  all  directions.  He  intended  to 
defend  the  country  of  Holstein  against  Den 
mark,  but  in  spite  of  his  ruses  and  efforts  the 
country  was  lost,  the  whole  army  destroyed, 
and  Steinbock  taken  prisoner.  To  complete 
the  misfortunes  of  the  Swedes,  the  King  per 
sisted  in  his  resolve  of  staying  at  Demotica, 
and  fed  his  mind  with  vain  expectations  of 
help  from  Turkey. 

The  Vizir,  Ibrahim  Molla,  who  had  been  so 
bent  on  war  with  the  Russians  in  opposition 
to  the  favourite,  was  pressed  to  death  between 
two  doors.  The  post  of  Vizir  was  now  so 
dangerous  that  none  dare  take  the  office;  but 
after  it  had  been  vacant  for  about  six  months, 
the  favourite  Ali-Coumourgi  took  it.  Then 
the  King  of  Sweden  abandoned  all  hope.  He 
really  knew  Coumourgi,  because  he  had  been 
of  service  to  him  when  the  favourite's  interest 
had  corresponded  with  his  own. 

He  had  spent  eleven  months  buried  in  idle 
ness  and  oblivion  at  Demotica;  this  extreme 
idleness,  following  the  most  violent  exercise, 
made  the  illness  which  he  had  before  assumed 
a  fact.  All  Europe  believed  he  was  dead,  and 
the  Regency  which  he  had  settled  when  he  left 
Stockholm,  getting  no  word  from  him,  the 
Senate  went  to  the  Princess  Ulrica  Eleanora 


History  of  Charles  XII     285 

to  ask  her  to  take  the  Regency  during  the 
absence  of  her  brother.  She  accepted  it ;  but 
when  she  found  that  the  Senate  were  trying  to 
force  her  to  peace  with  the  King  of  Denmark, 
who  was  attacking  Sweden  from  all  sides,  and 
with  the  Czar,  she  resigned  the  Regency  in 
the  certainty  that  her  brother  would  never 
ratify  the  peace,  and  sent  a  long  account  of 
the  affair  to  him  in  Turkey. 

The  King  received  the  dispatches  at  Demo- 
tica,  and  the  despotic  theories  which  he  had 
inherited  made  him  forget  that  Sweden  had 
once  been  free,  and  that  the  Senate  had  for 
merly  governed  the  kingdom  together  with 
the  Kings.  He  looked  on  them  as  servants, 
who  were  usurping  the  government  in  the 
absence  of  their  master ;  he  wrote  to  them  that 
if  they  wanted  to  govern  he  would  send  them 
one  of  his  boots,  to  whom  they  might  apply 
for  orders.  Then,  to  prevent  any  attempt  to 
overthrow  his  authority  in  Sweden,  and  to  de 
fend  his  country,  hoping  for  nothing  further 
from  the  Ottomans,  he  depended  on  himself, 
and  told  the  Grand  Vizir  that  he  would  go 
through  Germany. 

Desaleurs,  the  French  ambassador  who 
transacted  all  the  affairs  of  Sweden,  made  the 
proposal  to  the  Vizir.  "Well,"  said  the 
Vizir,  "  didn't  I  say  that  the  year  would  not 
pass  without  the  King's  asking  to  go?  Tell 
him  that  he  is  free  to  go  or  stay,  but  that 
he  must  fix  his  day,  that  we  may  not  have  a 


286     History  of  Charles  XII 

repetition  of  the  trouble  we  had  with  him  at 
Bender." 

Count  Desaleurs  softened  the  form  of  this 
message  to  the  King.  The  day  was  fixed, 
but  Charles  wished,  in  spite  of  his  wretched 
position,  to  show  the  pomp  of  a  grand  king 
before  leaving.  He  made  Grothusen  his 
ambassador  extraordinary,  and  sent  him  to 
make  a  formal  leave  at  Constantinople,  with 
a  suite  of  fourscore  persons  in  rich  attire.  But 
the  splendour  of  the  Embassy  was  not  so  great 
as  the  mean  shifts  to  which  he  descended  to 
provide  it  were  disgraceful.  M.  Desaleurs  lent 
the  King  40,000  crowns,  Grothusen  borrowed, 
through  his  agents  at  Constantinople,  1,000 
from  a  Jew,  at  the  rate  of  fifty  per  cent.,  be 
sides  200  pistoles  of  an  English  merchant,  and 
1,000  of  a  Turk. 

They  amassed  this  money  solely  to  act  before 
the  Divan  the  comedy  of  a  Swedish  embassy. 
At  the  Porte,  Grothusen  received  all  the  honour 
paid  to  ambassadors  extraordinary  on  their 
day  of  audience.  The  object  of  the  whole 
thing  was  to  get  money  from  the  Vizir,  but 
the  scheme  failed.  Grothusen  proposed  that 
the  Porte  should  lend  him  a  million.  But  the 
Vizir  answered  that  his  master  could  be  gener 
ous  when  he  wished,  but  that  lending  was 
beneath  his  dignity;  that  the  King  should 
have  all  necessary  for  his  journey,  and  in  a 
degree  becoming  to  the  giver ;  and  that  pos 
sibly  the  Porte  might  send  him  a  present  of 


History  of  Charles  XII     287 

uncoined  gold,  but  that  he  was  not  to  count 
on  that. 

The  King  began  his  journey  on  the  ist  of 
October,  1714.  A  capigi-pasha,  with  six 
chiaoux,  went  to  accompany  him  from  Demir- 
tash,  whither  he  had  removed  a  few  days 
before.  The  presents  they  brought  him  from 
the  Sultan  were  a  large  scarlet  tent  embroi 
dered  with  gold,  a  sabre  set  with  jewels,  eight 
beautiful  Arab  horses,  with  fine  saddles  and 
stirrups  set  with  massive  silver.  It  is  not 
beneath  the  dignity  of  history  to  tell  that  the 
Arabian  groom,  who  had  charge  of  the  horses, 
gave  the  King  an  account  of  their  genealogy; 
it  is  the  custom  there  to  think  more  of  the 
family  of  a  horse  than  of  a  man ;  which  is  not 
unreasonable,  for  if  we  are  careful  of  the  breed 
these  animals  never  degenerate. 

The  convoy  consisted  of  sixty  chariots,  laden 
with  all  sorts  of  provisions,  and  three  hundred 
horses.  The  Pasha,  knowing  that  many  Turks 
had  advanced  money  to  the  King's  suite  at 
high  rate  of  interest,  told  him  that,  as  usury 
was  forbidden  by  the  law  of  Mahomet,  he  de 
sired  his  Majesty  to  settle  the  debts,  so  that 
his  resident  at  Constantinople  should  only  pay 
the  principal.  "No,"  said  the  King,  "if  my 
servants  have  given  bills  for  a  hundred  crowns 
it  shall  be  paid,  even  if  they  have  only  received 
ten  for  it."  He  proposed  to  the  creditors  to 
go  with  him,  and  promised  payment  of  all 
their  debts;  and  many  did  go  to  Sweden,  and 


288     History  of  Charles  XII 

Grothusen  was  responsible  for  seeing  that  they 
were  paid. 

The  Turks,  to  show  more  respect  for  their 
guest,  made  very  short  stages  in  the  journey ; 
this  respectful  delay  bored  the  King ;  he  got 
up  as  usual  about  three  in  the  morning ;  as 
soon  as  he  was  dressed  he  himself  called  the 
capigi  and  the  chiaoux,  and  ordered  them  to 
march  in  the  midst  of  pitch  darkness.  The 
Turkish  solemnity  was  not  pleased  by  this  novel 
way  of  travelling,  and  the  King  was  glad  to 
find  it  was  so,  and  said  that  he  would  avenge 
Bender  a  little. 

When  he  arrived  at  the  Turkish  frontier, 
Stanislas  was  leaving  it  by  another  road, 
intending  to  withdraw  into  Germany  to  the 
Duchy  of  Deux  Fonts,  a  country  bordering  on 
the  Rhine  Palatinate  and  Alsace,  which  had 
belonged  to  the  King  of  Sweden  ever  since  it 
had  been  united  to  the  crown  by  Christina, 
successor  to  Charles  XI. 

Charles  assigned  the  revenue  of  this  Duchy 
to  Stanislas ;  it  was  then  reckoned  at  about 
70,000  crowns.  And  this  was  the  end  of  so 
many  wars  and  so  many  hopes.  Stanislas 
both  would  and  could  have  made  an  advan 
tageous  treaty  with  Augustus,  if  Charles  had 
not  been  so  obstinate  as  to  make  him  lose  his 
actual  estates  in  Poland  only  that  he  might 
keep  the  title  King. 

The  Prince  stayed  at  Deux  Fonts,  till 
Charles's  death,  then  this  Duchy  falling  to  the 


History  of  Charles  XII     289 

Palatine  family,  he  retired  to  Weissemburg  in 
French  Alsace.  When  M.  Sum,  King 
Augustus'  ambassador,  complained  to  the 
Duke  of  Orleans,  Regent  of  France,  he  re 
ceived  this  strange  answer:  "Sir,  tell  the 
King,  your  master,  that  France  has  ever  been 
a  refuge  for  kings  in  misfortune." 

The  King  of  Sweden,  having  arrived  on  the 
German  frontier,  found  that  the  Emperor  had 
given  orders  for  his  reception  with  proper 
state  throughout  his  dominions.  The  towns 
and  villages  where  harbingers  had  fixed  his 
route  were  making  great  preparations  to  enter 
tain  him;  and  every  one  was  looking  forward 
to  see  the  passing  of  this  extraordinary  man, 
whose  conquests  and  misfortunes,  whose  least 
actions  and  whose  very  times  of  rest  had  made 
so  much  talk  in  Europe.  But  Charles  disliked 
so  much  pomp,  nor  did  he,  as  the  prisoner  of 
Bender,  care  to  go  on  show;  he  had  even 
resolved  to  never  re-enter  Stockholm  till  he 
had  repaired  his  misfortunes. 

So  dismissing  his  Turkish  attendants  at  Ter- 
gowitz,  on  the  border  of  Transylvania,  he  called 
his  people  together  in  a  yard,  and  bade  them 
not  to  be  anxious  about  him,  but  make  the 
best  of  their  way  to  Stralsund,  in  Pomerania, 
about  300  leagues  from  that  spot,  on  the  Baltic. 
He  took  no  one  with  him,  but  a  certain  During, 
and  parted  cheerfully  with  all  his  officers,  leav 
ing  them  in  astonishment,  fear  and  grief.  As 
a  disguise  he  wore  a  black  wig,  a  gold-laced 

u 


290     History  of  Charles  XII 

hat,  and  a  blue  cloak,  passing  for  a  German 
officer.  Then  he  rode  post-haste  with  his 
travelling  companion. 

On  the  road  he  kept  clear  of  places  belong 
ing  to  his  real  or  secret  enemies,  and  so, 
through  Hungary,  Moravia,  Austria,  Bavaria, 
Wirtemburg,  the  Palatinate,  Westphalia  and 
Mecklenburg,  he  made  the  tour  of  Germany, 
and  doubled  his  route.  At  the  end  of  the  first 
day,  During,  who  was  not  used  to  such 
fatigues,  fainted  when  he  alighted.  The  King 
would  not  wait  a  moment,  but  asked  him  how 
much  money  he  had.  He  said  about  a  thou 
sand  crowns.  "  Give  me  half,"  said  the  King; 
"  I  see  you  can  go  no  further;  I  will  go  with 
out  you."  During  begged  him  to  rest  for  at 
least  three  hours,  assuring  him  that  then  he 
would  be  able  to  go  on,  and  desired  him  to 
consider  the  risk  of  travelling  alone.  The 
King  would  not  be  persuaded,  but  made  him 
hand  over  the  five  hundred  crowns,  and  called 
for  horses.  During,  fearing  the  consequences, 
bethought  himself  of  a  plan. 

He  drew  the  post-master  to  one  side,  and, 
pointing  to  the  King,  "  Friend,"  he  said, 
"this  is  my  cousin;  we  are  travelling  on  the 
same  business,  and  you  see  he  won't  wait 
three  hours  for  me ;  pray  give  him  the  worst 
horse  you  have,  and  procure  me  a  chaise  or 
coach."  He  put  a  couple  of  ducats  in  the 
man's  hand,  and  was  obeyed  punctually;  so 
that  the  King  had  a  horse  which  was  both 


History  of  Charles  XII     291 

lame  and  restive.  He  started  at  about  ten  at 
night,  through  wind,  snow,  and  rain.  His  fel 
low-traveller,  after  a  few  hours'  rest,  set  out 
again  in  a  chaise  with  very  good  horses.  At 
about  daybreak  he  overtook  the  King,  with  his 
horse  in  a  state  of  exhaustion,  and  walking  to 
the  next  stage.  Then  he  was  obliged  to  get 
in  with  During,  and  slept  on  the  straw;  then 
they  continued  their  journey,  on  horseback 
during  the  day  and  sleeping  in  the  coach  at 
night.  They  did  not  make  any  halts,  and  so, 
after  sixteen  days'  riding,  and  often  at  the 
risk  of  being  taken,  they  arrived  at  last  at  the 
gates  of  the  town  of  Stralsund,  at  one  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  The  King  shouted  to  the 
sentinel  that  he  was  a  messenger  from  the 
King  of  Sweden  in  Turkey,  that  he  must  speak 
that  very  moment  to  General  Ducker,  the 
governor  of  the  place ;  the  sentinel  answered 
that  it  was  late,  that  the  governor  was  in  bed, 
and  that  they  must  wait  till  daybreak.  The 
King  answered  that  he  was  on  important 
business,  and  declared  that  if  they  did  not  wake 
the  governor  without  delay  he  would  have  them 
all  hanged.  The  next  morning  a  sergeant  went 
and  called  the  governor ;  Ducker  imagined  that 
he  was  perhaps  one  of  the  King  of  Sweden's 
generals ;  the  gates  were  opened,  and  the 
courier  was  brought  into  the  room.  Ducker, 
half  asleep,  asked  the  news.  The  King  seized 
him  by  the  arm.  "  What,"  he  said,  "  my  most 
faithful  subjects  have  forgotten  me!"  The 


292     History  of  Charles  XII 

General  recognized  the  King ;  he  could  hardly 
believe  his  eyes.  He  threw  himself  from  his 
bed,  and  embraced  his  master's  feet,  shedding 
tears  of  joy.  The  news  was  all  over  the  town 
in  a  minute ;  every  one  got  up,  the  soldiers 
collected  round  the  governor's  house;  the 
streets  were  full  of  people  asking  if  the  news 
were  true;  the  windows  were  illuminated,  the 
conduits  ran  with  wine,  and  the  artillery  fired 
a  volley. 

In  the  meantime  they  put  the  King  to  bed, 
as  he  had  not  rested  for  sixteen  days.  They 
had  to  cut  his  boots  from  his  legs,  so  much 
were  they  swollen  from  excessive  fatigue.  He 
had  neither  linen  nor  clothes.  They  hastily 
manufactured  a  wardrobe  from  whatever  would 
fit  him  best  that  was  in  the  town.  When  he 
had  had  some  hours'  sleep,  he  got  up  to  go 
and  review  his  troops,  and  visit  the  fortifica 
tions.  That  very  day  he  sent  his  orders  to  all 
parts  for  renewing  the  war  against  his  enemies 
with  more  vigour  than  ever. 

Europe  was  now  in  a  very  different  condition 
from  that  she  had  been  in  when  Charles  went 
away  in  1709.  The  war  in  the  South,  between 
England,  Holland,  France,  Spain,  Portugal  and 
Italy,  was  over;  this  general  peace  was  due  to 
some  private  quarrels  in  the  English  Court. 
The  Earl  of  Oxford,  a  clever  minister,  and  Lord 
Bolingbroke,  one  of  the  greatest  geniuses  and 
most  eloquent  men  of  his  century,  were  in  the 
ascendant  against  the  famous  Duke  of  Marl- 


History  of  Charles  XII     293 

borough,  and  persuaded  Queen  Anne  to  make 
peace  with  Louis  XIV.  France  having  made 
peace  with  England,  soon  forced  the  other 
Powers  to  terms.  Philip  IV,  grandson  of  Louis 
XIV,  was  beginning  a  peaceful  rule  over  the 
ruins  of  the  Spanish  monarchy.  The  Emperor, 
master  of  Naples  and  Flanders,  was  firmly 
settled  in  his  vast  dominions.  The  only  thing 
that  Louis  asked  was  to  finish  his  long  career 
in  peace.  Queen  Anne  of  England  died  in 
August  1714,  hated  by  half  the  nation  for 
having  given  peace  to  so  many  States.  Her 
brother  James  Stewart,  an  unfortunate  prince 
excluded  from  the  throne  almost  from  his 
birth,  failing  to  appear  in  England  to  try  to 
recover  a  succession  which  new  laws  would 
have  settled  on  him,  had  his  party  prevailed, 
George  I,  Elector  of  Hanover,  was  unani 
mously  chosen  King  of  Great  Britain.  The 
throne  came  to  him  not  by  right  of  descent,  but 
by  Act  of  Parliament. 

Called  at  an  advanced  age  to  rule  a  people 
whose  language  he  did  not  understand,  and 
where  everything  was  strange,  George  con 
sidered  himself  rather  Elector  of  Hanover  than 
King  of  England;  his  whole  ambition  was  for 
the  improvement  of  his  German  States;  nearly 
every  year  he  crossed  the  seas  to  visit  the  sub 
jects  who  adored  him.  In  other  ways  he  pre 
ferred  a  private  to  public  life;  the  pomp  of 
majesty  was  burdensome  to  him,  and  what  he 
liked  was  a  familiar  talk  with  a  few  old 


294     History  of  Charles  XII 

courtiers.  He  was  not  the  most  dazzling  king 
of  Europe,  but  he  was  one  of  the  wisest  of  the 
kings,  and  perhaps  the  only  one  who  could,  as 
king,  taste  the  pleasures  of  friendship  and  a 
private  life.  These  were  the  chief  princes,  and 
this  was  the  position  of  affairs  in  South 
Europe.  The  changes  that  had  occurred  in  the 
North  were  of  another  kind  :  the  kings  there 
were  at  war,  but  all  united  against  the  King 
of  Sweden. 

Augustus  had  been  long  restored  to  the 
crown  of  Poland,  by  the  help  of  the  Czar,  and 
with  the  consent  of  the  Emperor,  Queen  Anne, 
and  the  States-General,  who,  though  guaran 
tors  of  the  Peace  of  Altranstadt,  in  Charles's 
better  days,  forgot  their  obligations  when  they 
found  there  was  no  longer  anything  to  fear 
from  him.  But  Augustus  was  not  at  peace  in 
his  kingdom.  His  people's  fears  of  arbitrary 
power  returned  with  the  return  of  their  King ; 
they  had  taken  up  arms  to  make  him  submit 
to  the  Pacta  Conventa,  a  solemn  compact  they 
had  with  their  King. 

They  seemed  to  have  summoned  him  home 
only  to  make  war  on  him.  At  the  beginning 
of  these  troubles  not  a  word  was  said  of  Stanis 
las,  his  party  seemed  to  have  disappeared,  and 
the  King  of  Sweden  was  no  more  remembered 
than  as  a  kind  of  torrent,  which  had  for  a  time 
borne  down  all  before  it. 

Pultawa  and  Charles's  absence,  which 
caused  the  fall  of  Stanislas,  was  also  the  cause 


History  of  Charles  XII     295 

of  the  fall  of  the  Duke  of  Holsteln,  Charles's 
nephew,  who  was  dispossessed  of  his  dominions 
by  the  King  of  Denmark.  The  King  of 
Sweden  had  a  great  regard  for  the  father,  and 
was  moved  and  humiliated  by  the  son's  losses. 
Besides,  as  he  only  acted  for  the  sake  of  glory, 
the  fall  of  princes  which  he  had  himself  set  up 
was  as  vexing  to  him  as  his  own  losses.  His 
enemies  vied  with  each  other  in  profiting  by 
his  ruin.  Frederic  William,  the  new  King  of 
Prussia,  who  seemed  as  anxious  for  war  as 
his  father  had  been  for  peace,  took  Stetin  and 
a  part  of  Pomerania  for  four  hundred  thousand 
crowns,  which  he  advanced  to  the  King  of 
Denmark  and  the  Czar.  George,  Elector  of 
Hanover,  now  King  of  England,  had  the 
Duchy  of  Bremen  and  Verden  for  three-score 
thousand  pistoles  which  he  had  lent  to  the  King 
of  Denmark.  Thus  was  Charles  spoiled,  and 
those  who  had  gained  these  territories  as 
pledges  were  from  their  interests  as  much  op 
posed  to  him  as  those  who  had  taken  them 
from  him.  The  Czar  was  indeed  most  of  all 
to  be  feared.  His  former  losses,  his  victories, 
and  his  very  mistakes,  combined  with  his  dili 
gence  to  learn,  and  care  to  teach  his  subjects 
in  their  turn,  and  his  hard  work,  made  him  a 
remarkable  man. 

Riga,  Livonia,  Ingria,  Carelia,  part  of  Fin 
land,  and  all  the  countries  that  had  been  won 
by  Charles's  ancestors,  were  now  subject  to 
Russia.  Peter,  who  had  only  twenty  years 


296     History  of  Charles  XII 

before  not  so  much  as  one  ship  on  the  Baltic, 
had  gained  control  of  those  seas  with  a  fleet 
of  no  fewer  than  .thirty  ships  of  the  line.  He 
built  one  of  these  ships  with  his  own  hands ; 
he  was  the  best  carpenter,  admiral  and  pilot 
in  the  North.  From  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia  to 
the  ocean  he  had  sounded  every  league  of  the 
way.  He  had  united  the  labour  of  a  common 
sailor  to  the  experiments  of  a  theorist,  and 
having  become  admiral  gradually,  and  by  dint 
of  victories,  as  he  had  before  when  he  aimed 
at  land  command.  While  Prince  Gallitsin,  a 
general  made  by  him,  and  the  best  at  second 
ing  his  plans,  was  completing  the  conquest  of 
Poland,  by  taking  Vasa  and  beating  the 
Swedes,  this  Emperor  put  to  sea  to  make  a 
descent  on  Alan,  on  the  Baltic,  about  twelve 
leagues  from  Stockholm. 

He  went  on  the  expedition  in  the  beginning 
of  July  1714,  while  his  rival  Charles  was  in 
bed  at  Demotica. 

He  embarked  at  Cronslot,  a  harbour  he  had 
built  four  miles  from  St.  Petersburg.  The  har 
bour,  the  fleet,  the  officers  and  sailors  were  all 
the  work  of  his  own  hands,  and  he  could  see 
nothing  that  he  had  not  made  himself. 

The  Russian  fleet  found  itself  off  Aland  on 
the  1 5th  of  July;  it  consisted  of  thirty  ships  of 
the  line,  four-score  galleys,  and  a  hundred  half- 
galleys;  it  carried  twenty  thousand  men,  and 
was  commanded  by  Admiral  Apraxin,  the  Rus 
sian  Emperor  being  Rear-Admiral. 

The  Swedish  fleet  came  up  on  the  i6th,  under 


History  of  Charles  XII     297 

the  command  of  Vice-Admiral  Erinschild,  and 
was  weaker  by  two-thirds ;  yet  they  fought  for 
three  hours,  the  Czar  himself  attacking  the 
flag-ship,  and  taking  it  after  an  obstinate  fight. 

The  day  of  the  victory  he  landed  16,000 
men  at  Aland,  and  took  many  of  the  Swedish 
soldiers  who  could  not  board  their  own  fleet 
prisoners.  Then  he  returned  to  his  port  of 
Cronslot,  with  the  flag-ship  and  three  smaller 
ones,  a  frigate,  and  six  galleys,  which  he  had 
taken. 

From  Cronslot  he  went  to  St.  Petersburg, 
followed  by  his  victorious  fleet  and  the  ships 
he  had  taken.  He  was  greeted  by  a  salute 
of  150  guns.  Then  he  made  his  triumphal 
entry,  which  gave  him  more  pleasure  than  that 
at  Moscow,  as  it  was  in  his  favourite  town, 
where  ten  years  before  there  was  not  so  much 
as  a  shed,  and  which  now  possessed  34,000 
fine  houses.  Then,  too,  he  was  at  the  head 
of  a  victorious  army,  and  of  the  first  Russian 
fleet  ever  seen  in  the  Baltic;  and  among  a 
people  who,  before  his  time,  had  never  known 
what  a  fleet  was. 

At  Petersburg  the  ceremonies  were  much 
the  same  as  at  Moscow.  The  Swedish  Vice- 
Admiral  was  the  pihe  de  resistance.  Peter 
appeared  as  Rear-Admiral,  and  a  Russian,  who 
represented  the  Czar  on  these  occasions,  was 
set  upon  a  throne  surrounded  by  twelve  sena 
tors.  The  Rear-Admiral  presented  him  with 
an  account  of  his  victories,  and  was  then  made 
Vice-Admiral  in  consideration  of  his  services. 


298     History  of  Charles  XII 

It  was  an  odd  ceremony,  but  suited  to  a 
country  where  the  Czar  had  introduced  military 
distinctions  as  a  novelty. 

The  Russian  Emperor,  having  thus  got  the 
better  of  the  Swedes  by  land  and  by  sea,  and 
having  helped  to  expel  them  from  Poland,  was 
master  there  himself ;  he  made  himself  medi 
ator  between  the  King  and  the  people,  an 
honour  perhaps  equal  to  that  of  setting  up  a 
King.  The  pomp  and  fortune  of  Charles  had 
passed  to  the  Czar;  he  made  a  better  use  of  it 
than  his  rival,  for  he  used  all  his  successes  for 
his  country's  good.  If  he  took  a  town  the 
chief  artisans  were  transferred  to  Petersburg. 
The  manners,  arts  and  sciences  of  any  place 
he  took  were  carried  home  to  enrich  and  refine 
his  own  country.  'So  that  of  all  conquerors  he 
had  the  best  excuse  for  his  conquest. 

Sweden,  on  the  other  hand,  had  lost  all  her 
foreign  possessions,  and  had  neither  trade, 
money,  nor  credit;  her  veterans  were  either 
killed  or  had  died  of  want.  More  than  a  hun 
dred  thousand  Swedes  were  slaves  in  the  vast 
Russian  Empire,  and  as  many  more  had  been 
sold  to  the  Turks  and  the  Tartars.  The  male 
population  was  visibly  becoming  scarce ;  but 
in  spite  of  all  this,  their  hopes  revived  when 
they  heard  that  their  King  had  arrived  at 
Stralsund. 

The  sentiment  of  respect  and  admiration  for 
him  was  still  so  strong  that  the  rustic  youth 
crowded  to  enlist,  leaving  the  land  without 
cultivators. 


BOOK   VIII 


BOOK    VIII 

Charles  marries  his  sister  to  the  Prince  of  Hesse— He  is 
besieged  in  Stralsund  and  escapes  to  Sweden — The 
enterprise  of  Baron  Gortz  his  premier— Plans  of 
reconciliation  with  the  Czar— An  attack  on  Eng 
land—Charles  besieges  Frederickshal  in  Norway- 
He  is  killed— His  character— Gortz  is  beheaded. 

DURING  these  preparations  the  King  gave  his 
only  surviving  sister  in  marriage  to  Frederic, 
Prince  of  Hesse-Cassel.  The  Queen  Dowager, 
his  grandmother,  aged  fourscore  years,  did 
the  honours  of  the  fete  on  the  4th  of  April, 
1715,  and  died  shortly  afterwards.  The  King 
could  not  attend  the  ceremony,  as  he  was  so 
busy  finishing  the  fortifications  of  Stralsund, 
which  was  in  danger  from  the  Kings  of  Den 
mark  and  Prussia.  But  he  made  his  brother- 
in-law  generalissimo  of  all  the  forces  of  Sweden. 
This  Prince  had  served  the  States-General  in 
the  French  war,  and  was  considered  a  good 
soldier,  a  qualification  for  his  sister's  hand  in 
the  eyes  of  Charles  XII. 

Misfortunes  now  followed  as  fast  as  victories 
had  once  done.  In  June  1715  the  English 
King's  German  forces  and  those  of  Denmark 
invested  the  strong  town  of  Wismar;  the 
Danes,  Saxons  and  Prussians,  36,000  of  them, 
marched  in  a  body  to  Stralsund  to  form  a 
siege.  Not  far  from  Stralsund,  five  Swedish 
301 


302     History  of  Charles  XII 

ships  were  sunk  by  the  Danes  and  Prussians. 
The  Czar  held  the  Baltic  with  two  large  men- 
of-war,  and  150  transports,  which  had  30,000 
men  on  board.  He  threatened  a  descent  on 
Sweden,  appearing  alternately  on  the  coast  of 
Elsingburg  and  Stockholm.  All  Sweden  was 
in  arms,  expecting  an  invasion ;  his  land  forces 
were  chasing  the  Swedes  from  the  places  they 
held  in  Finland  towards  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia, 
but  he  attempted  nothing  further.  At  the 
mouth  of  the  Oder,  a  river  that  divides  Pome- 
rania,  and,  passing  Stetin,  falls  into  the  Baltic, 
there  is  a  little  island  called  Usedom.  Its 
position  makes  it  a  place  of  considerable  im 
portance,  for  it  commands  the  Oder  both  on 
the  right  and  the  left,  and  whoever  holds  it  is 
master  of  the  navigation  of  that  river.  The 
King  of  Prussia  had  dislodged  the  Swedes, 
and  was  holding  the  place  as  well  as  Stetin, 
saying  that  he  did  so  purely  for  the  sake  of 
peace.  But  the  Swedes  had  retaken  Usedom 
in  May  1715,  and  held  two  forts  there,  one 
called  Suine,  on  a  branch  of  the  Oder  of  that 
name,  the  other  called  Penamonder,  of  greater 
importance,  on  another  branch  of  the  river. 
The  forts  were  manned  with  only  250  Pomera 
nians,  commanded  by  an  old  Swedish  officer 
called  Kuze-Slerp,  a  man  who  deserves  to  be 
remembered.  On  the  4th  of  April  the  King  of 
Prussia  sent  1,500  foot  and  800  dragoons  into 
the  island.  They  arrived  and  landed  on  the 
side  of  Suine  without  opposition.  The  Swedish 


History  of  Charles  XII     303 

commander  had  left  them  this  fort,  as  being 
the  least  important,  and,  not  being  able  to 
divide  his  small  force,  he  withdrew  to  the 
castle  of  Penamonder,  resolving  to  await  the 
worst. 

So  they  were  forced  to  make  a  formal  siege. 
They  shipped  artillery  at  Stetin,  and  sent  in  a 
reinforcement  of  1,000  Prussian  foot  and  400 
horse.  On  the  i8th,  they  opened  the  trenches 
in  two  places,  and  a  brisk  battery  was  played 
by  cannon  and  mortars.  During  the  siege  a 
Swedish  soldier,  sent  privately  with  a  letter  to 
Charles,  found  means  to  land  on  the  island 
and  slip  into  the  place.  He  gave  the  letter  to 
the  commander.  It  was  as  follows  :  "  Do  not 
fire  till  the  enemy  come  to  the  edge  of  the 
ditch ;  defend  yourselves  to  the  last  drop  of 
your  blood. — CHARLES." 

Slerp  read  the  note,  resolved  to  obey,  and 
die  as  he  was  bid  in  his  master's  service.  On 
the  22nd,  at  daybreak,  the  assault  was  made. 
The  besieged  did  as  they  were  told,  and  killed 
many,  but  the  ditch  was  full,  the  breach  large, 
and  the  besiegers  too  numerous.  They  entered 
at  two  different  places  at  once. 

The  commander  now  thought  that  he  had 
no  further  duty  but  to  obey  orders  and  sell  his 
life  dear,  so  he  abandoned  the  breaches,  en 
trenched  his  few  troops,  who  all  had  honour 
and  courage  enough  to  go  with  him,  and  placed 
them  so  that  they  should  not  be  surrounded. 

The   enemy   hastened   up,   surprised  that  he 


304     History  of  Charles  XII 

did  not  ask  for  quarter;  but  he  fought  a  whole 
hour,  and  when  he  had  lost  half  his  soldiers, 
was  killed  at  last  with  his  lieutenant  and  major. 
There  were  then  left  100  men  and  one  officer; 
these  asked  that  their  lives  might  be  spared, 
and  were  taken  prisoners.  In  the  commander's 
pocket  they  found  his  master's  letter,  which 
was  taken  to  the  King  of  Prussia. 

Just  as  Charles  had  lost  Usedom,  and  the 
neighbouring  islands  which  were  quickly  taken, 
while  Wismar  was  on  the  point  of  surrender, 
with  no  fleet  to  lend  aid,  and  Sweden  in  great 
danger,  he  himself  was  at  Stralsund,  besieged 
by  36,000  men.  Stralsund,  famous  throughout 
Europe  for  the  siege  the  King  of  Sweden  sus 
tained  there,  is  one  of  the  strongest  places  in 
Pomerania.  It  is  built  between  the  Baltic 
and  the  Lake  of  Franken,  near  the  Straits  of 
Gella.  There  is  no  land  passage  to  it  but 
across  a  narrow  crossway  defended  by  a  citadel, 
and  by  retrenchments  that  were  once  thought 
inaccessible.  There  was  in  it  a  garrison  of 
9,000  men,  and,  more  than  all,  the  King  of 
Sweden  himself.  The  Kings  of  Denmark  and 
Prussia  besieged  it  with  an  army  of  36,000 
men,  consisting  of  Saxons,  Prussians  and 
Danes.  The  honour  of  besieging  Charles  was 
too  great  an  incitement  to  them  to  make  any 
task  difficult,  so  the  trenches  were  opened  on 
the  night  between  the  igth  and  2oth  of 
October,  1715. 

The   King  of   Sweden   said   at  first  that  he 


History  of  Charles  XII     305 

wondered  how  any  place  well  manned  and  forti 
fied  could  be  taken.  True,  he  had  taken  many 
towns  himself  in  the  course  of  his  victories, 
but  none  by  regular  attack.  It  was  the  fame 
of  his  exploits  that  gained  them ;  besides,  he 
never  judged  others  by  his  own  standard,  and 
always  underrated  his  enemies.  The  besiegers 
carried  on  their  work  with  great  alacrity,  and 
they  were  assisted  by  a  curious  chance. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  Baltic  has  no  flux 
and  reflux.  The  entrenchments  of  the  town 
were  thought  impregnable,  as  there  was  an 
impassable  marsh  on  the  west  and  the  sea  on 
the  east. 

No  one  had  remarked  before  that  in  a  strong 
westerly  wind  the  waves  of  the  Baltic  roll 
back  so  as  to  leave  only  three  feet  of  water 
under  the  entrenchment.  They  had  always 
thought  it  deep.  A  soldier,  happening  to  fall 
from  the  top  of  the  entrenchment,  was  sur 
prised  to  find  a  bottom ;  but  having  made  that 
discovery,  he  concluded  that  it  might  make  his 
fortune.  So  he  deserted,  and  going  to  the 
quarters  of  Count  Wakerbath,  General  of  the 
Saxon  forces,  he  told  him  that  the  sea  was 
fordable,  and  that  it  would  be  easy  to  carry 
the  Swedes'  entrenchments.  The  King  of 
Prussia  was  not  slow  to  take  the  hint 

The  next  day  the  west  wind  was  still  blow 
ing ;  Lieutenant-Colonel  Kepel  entered  the 
water  with  1,800  men,  and  2,000  advanced  at 
the  same  time  on  the  causeway;  all  the  Prus- 

x 


306     History  of  Charles  XII 

sian  artillery  fired,  and  the  Prussians  and  Danes 
gave  an  alarm  on  the  other  side.  The  Swedes 
were  sure  they  could  deal  with  those  who  were 
advancing  with  such  rashness  by  the  causeway ; 
but  Kepel,  coming  in  behind  them  from  the 
sea,  enclosed  them  so  that  they  could  make 
no  headway,  and  the  position  was  carried  after 
terrible  slaughter  on  both  sides.  Some  of  the 
Swedes  retired  into  the  town,  but  they  were 
pursued  by  the  besiegers,  and  some  entered 
pell-mell  with  those  that  were  fleeing.  Two 
officers  and  four  Saxon  soldiers  were  already 
on  the  drawbridge,  but  they  had  just  time  to 
shut  it,  and  took  the  men,  and  so  for  that  time 
the  town  was  saved.  They  found  four-and- 
twenty  pieces  of  cannon  on  the  entrenchments, 
which  they  turned  against  the  town.  After  this 
success  the  siege  was  carried  on  eagerly,  the 
town  being  cannonaded  and  bombarded  without 
remission. 

Opposite  Stralsund  on  the  Baltic  is  the  island 
of  Ruegen,  which  is  a  rampart  of  the  place, 
whither  the  garrison  and  people  could  retire 
if  they  only  had  boats.  This  island  was  of  the 
first  importance  to  Charles,  for  he  knew  that 
if  the  enemy  were  masters  of  it  he  would  soon 
be  invested  both  by  sea  and  land,  and  probably 
buried  in  the  ruins  of  Stralsund,  or  else  taken 
prisoner  by  those  whom  he  had  formerly 
despised  so  much  and  used  so  harshly. 

However,  the  wretched  state  of  his  affairs 
had  prevented  him  from  sending  a  sufficient 


History  of  Charles  XII     307 

garrison  to  Ruegen,  and  there  were  not  more 
than  2,000  regular  troops  altogether  on  the 
island.  For  three  months  the  enemy  had  been 
making  all  the  preparations  for  an  attack  on 
it,  but  having  built  boats  for  the  purpose,  the 
Prince  of  Anhalt,  favoured  by  good  weather, 
made  a  landing  at  last  with  12,000  men  on  the 
1 5th  of  November. 

The  King,  who  was  everywhere,  was  in  this 
island;  he  joined  2,000  men  who  were  en 
trenched  near  a  little  haven,  about  three  leagues 
from  where  the  enemy  had  landed.  He 
marched  with  them  at  midnight,  with  great 
silence.  The  Prince  of  Anhalt  had  used  what 
seemed  unnecessary  caution  to  entrench  his 
cannon.  His  officers  expected  no  attack  by 
night,  and  had  no  idea  but  that  Charles  was 
safe  at  Stralsund.  But  the  Prince,  who  knew 
Charles  much  better,  ordered  a  deep  ditch, 
with  chevaux  de  frise  on  the  edge,  and  took  as 
much  care  as  if  he  had  to  do  with  a  superior  force. 

At  two  in  the  morning  Charles  came  to  the 
enemy's  camp,  without  the  slightest  noise.  His 
soldiers  said  to  one  another,  "  Come,  let  us 
pull  up  the  chevaux  de  frise."  These  words 
were  overheard  by  the  sentinels ;  the  alarm  was 
quickly  given,  and  the  enemy  stood  to  arms. 
The  King,  raising  the  chevaux  de  frise,  saw  a 
great  ditch.  "Ah,"  he  said,  "impossible; 
this  is  more  than  I  expected."  Not  at  all  dis 
couraged,  and  knowing  nothing  of  their  num 
bers,  nor  they  of  his,  for  the  night  favoured 


3o8     History  of  Charles  XII 

him  in  that,  he  decided  at  once,  leaped  into  the 
ditch,  followed  by  some  of  the  boldest.  The 
chevaux  de  frise  was  removed,  the  earth 
levelled  with  any  trunks  and  branches  they 
could  find,  and  the  bodies  of  the  dead  for 
fascines.  The  King,  generals,  and  boldest  of 
the  officers  and  soldiers  got  on  one  another's 
shoulders  as  in  assaults. 

The  fight  began  in  the  enemy's  camp;  the 
vigour  of  the  Swedes  threw  the  Danes  and 
Prussians  into  disorder,  but  their  numbers 
being  too  disparate,  the  Swedes  were  repulsed 
in  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  repaired  to 
the  ditch. 

The  unfortunate  King  rallied  his  troops  in 
the  field,  and  the  fight  was  renewed  with  equal 
warmth  on  both  sides.  He  saw  his  favourite 
Grothusen  fall,  and  General  Dardoff,  and  as  he 
fought  passed  over  the  body  of  the  latter 
while  he  was  still  breathing.  During,  his  com 
panion  from  Turkey  to  Stralsund,  was  killed 
before  his  face.  The  King  himself  was  shot 
near  the  left  breast ;  Count  Poniatowski,  who 
had  been  so  lucky  as  to  save  his  life  before  at 
Pultawa,  had  the  good  fortune  to  do  the 
same  again,  and  gave  him  a  new  mount.  The 
Swedes  retired  to  a  part  of  the  island  named 
Alteferre,  where  they  still  held  a  fort ;  from 
thence  the  King  returned  to  Stralsund,  obliged 
to  leave  those  brave  troops  who  had  served 
him  so  well  in  that  expedition ;  they  were  all 
prisoners  of  war  two  days  later. 


History  of  Charles  XII     309 

Among  the  prisoners  was  that  unfortunate 
French  regiment,  the  debris  of  the  battle  of 
Hochstet,  which  had  first  served  Augustus,  and 
afterwards  Charles.  Most  of  the  soldiers  were 
drafted  into  a  new  regiment  belonging  to  the 
son  of  the  Prince  of  Anhalt,  and  he  was  their 
fourth  master.  In  Ruegen  the  commander  of 
this  vagrant  regiment  was  then  the  famous 
Count  Villelongue,  who  had  so  nobly  risked  his 
life  at  Adrianople  to  save  Charles.  He  was 
taken  with  all  his  men,  and  was  ill  rewarded 
for  all  his  services,  fatigues  and  sufferings. 

The  King,  having  only  weakened  himself  by 
all  these  prodigies  of  valour,  pent  up  in  Stral- 
sund  and  expecting  to  be  taken,  was  yet  the 
same  as  he  had  been  at  Bender.  Nothing 
could  surprise  him.  All  day  he  was  making 
ditches  and  entrenchments  behind  the  walls, 
and  at  night  he  sallied  out  against  the  enemy. 
The  town  was  badly  damaged,  bombs  fell  thick 
and  fast,  and  half  the  town  was  in  ashes.  The 
townsfolk,  far  from  complaining,  were  full  of 
admiration  for  their  master,  whose  temperance, 
courage  and  fatigues  were  astonishing;  they 
acted  as  soldiers  under  him,  following  to  the 
attack,  and  were  now  as  good  as  another 
garrison. 

One  day,  as  the  King  was  dictating  to  a 
secretary  some  dispatches  for  Sweden,  a  bomb 
fell  into  the  house,  came  through  the  roof,  and 
burst  very  near  his  room.  Part  of  the  floor 
fell  in,  but  the  ante-room  where  he  was  at 


3io     History  of  Charles  XII 

work,  being  attached  to  a  thick  wall,  was 
undisturbed,  and  by  a  lucky  chance  none  of 
the  splinters  came  in  at  the  door,  though  it 
was  open.  In  this  noise  and  confusion  the 
secretary  dropped  his  pen,  thinking  that  the 
house  was  coming-  down.  "  What  is  the  mat 
ter?"  said  the  King  calmly;  "why  are  you 
not  writing?"  The  man  could  only  stammer 
out,  "The  bomb,  Sire!"  "Well,"  said  the 
King,  "  what  has  that  to  do  with  our  writing? 
Go  on. " 

An  ambassador  of  France,  a  M.  de  Croissy, 
was  then  shut  up  with  the  King  in  Stralsund. 
To  send  a  man  on  an  embassy  to  Charles  was 
like  sending  him  to  the  trenches.  The  King 
would  talk  with  Croissy  for  hours  together,  in 
the  most  exposed  places,  where  people  were 
falling  on  all  sides,  killed  by  the  bombs  and 
cannon ;  the  King  was  unconscious  of  the 
danger,  and  the  ambassador  did  not  care  to 
say  anything  to  make  him  chose  a  safer  place 
for  business.  Before  the  siege  this  minister 
tried  his  best  to  make  a  treaty  between  the 
Kings  of  Sweden  and  Prussia;  but  the  one 
expected  too  much,  and  the  other  would  not 
make  any  concessions.  So  that  the  only  satis 
faction  that  Croissy  got  out  of  his  embassy  was 
the  familiarity  he  enjoyed  with  this  remarkable 
man.  He  often  slept  on  the  same  cloak  with 
him,  and,  as  they  shared  so  many  dangers 
and  fatigues,  he  was  outspoken  with  him. 
Charles  encouraged  this  in  the  case  of  those 


History  of  Charles  XII     311 

he  liked,  and  would  sometimes  say  to  Croissy, 
'  Veni,  maledicamus  de  rege. "  "Come,  let 
us  talk  scandal  of  Charles." 

Croissy  stayed  in  the  town  till  the  i3th  of 
November.  Then,  with  the  permission  of  the 
enemy  to  pass  with  his  baggage,  he  took  leave 
of  Charles,  whom  he  left  among  the  ruins  of 
Stralsund  with  only  a  third  of  his  garrison 
left,  and  fully  resolved  to  stand  an  assault. 

In  fact,  the  assault  on  the  horn-work  was 
made  in  four  days.  The  enemy  took  it  twice, 
and  were  twice  beaten  off. 

At  last  numbers  prevailed,  and  they  became 
masters  of  it.  Charles  stayed  two  days  longer 
in  the  town,  expecting  every  moment  a  general 
assault;  on  the  i6th  he  stayed  till  midnight  in 
a  little  ravelin  quite  destroyed  by  bombs  and 
cannon ;  the  day  after  the  principal  officers 
begged  him  to  stay  no  longer  in  this  untenable 
situation,  but  retreat  was  now  as  dangerous 
as  to  stay  there.  The  Baltic  was  full  of  Russian 
and  Danish  ships ;  in  the  port  at  Stralsund 
there  was  only  one  boat  with  sails  and  oars. 
So  many  dangers  made  retreat  glorious,  and 
determined  Charles  to  go;  he  embarked  on  the 
evening  of  December  2Oth,  with  ten  persons 
aboard.  They  were  obliged  to  break  the  ice, 
and  it  was  several  hours  before  they  could  get 
away.  The  enemy's  admiral  had  strict  orders 
not  to  let  Charles  escape  from  Stralsund.  Hap 
pily  they  were  to  leeward  of  him,  and  could  not 
approach.  He  ran  the  most  risk  in  passing  a 


312     History  of  Charles  XII 

place  called  the  Barbette,  in  Ruegen,  where 
the  Danes  had  fixed  a  battery  of  twelve  cannon. 
They  fired,  and  he  made  all  the  sail  he  could 
to  get  clear  of  their  range.  Two  men  were 
killed  close  by  him,  and  at  another  shot  the 
mast  was  shattered.  In  the  midst  of  these 
dangers  the  King  met  two  of  his  ships  that  were 
cruising  in  the  Baltic,  and  the  next  day  Stral- 
sund  was  surrendered,  and  the  garrison  made 
prisoners  of  war.  The  King  landed  at  Isted 
in  Scania,  and  came  to  Carlscrona,  in  a  very 
different  state  from  that  in  which  he  had  left  it, 
ten  years  before,  when  he  started  in  a  ship  of 
twelve  guns,  to  dictate  to  the  North. 

As  he  was  so  near  his  capital,  it  was  con 
cluded  he  would  go  there  after  so  long  an 
absence.  But  he  could  not  bear  the  thought 
of  it  till  he  had  gained  some  great  victories. 
Nor  did  he  want  to  see  his  people  who  loved 
him,  and  to  whose  burdens  he  had  perforce  to 
add  to  defend  himself  against  his  enemies. 
He  only  wanted  to  see  his  sister,  and  he  sent 
for  her  to  meet  him  near  Lake  Wetter,  in  Ostro- 
gothia.  He  rode  post-haste  with  one  attend 
ant,  spent  a  day  with  her,  and  returned. 

At  Carlscrona,  where  he  passed  the  winter, 
he  levied  new  forces  everywhere.  He  thought 
his  subjects  were  only  born  to  follow  him  to 
war,  and  he  had  accustomed  them  to  think 
so  too.  He  enlisted  many  of  but  fifteen 
years  old.  In  many  villages  there  were  only 
old  men,  women  and  children  left ;  in  some 


History  of  Charles  XII     313 

places  the  women  ploughed  unaided.  It  was 
still  more  difficult  to  get  a  fleet.  But  to  bring 
that  about  commissions  were  given  to  pri 
vateers,  who  enjoyed  great  privileges  to  the 
ruin  of  the  country,  but  who  provided  him  with 
some  ships.  This  was  the  last  effort  of  Sweden 
to  meet  the  great  expense ;  all  the  houses  were 
searched,  and  half  their  provisions  carried  into 
the  King's  warehouses.  All  the  iron  in  the 
country  was  bought  up  for  his  use  and  paid 
for  in  paper,  which  he  sold  for  ready  money. 
Whoever  wore  silk,  or  wigs,  or  gilded  swords 
was  taxed,  and  there  was  a  heavy  hearth-rate. 

A  people  thus  loaded  with  taxation  would 
have  revolted  under  any  other  King,  but  here 
the  most  miserable  peasant  knew  that  his 
master  was  faring  harder  than  he  himself. 
So  they  quietly  bore  what  their  King  was 
always  the  first  to  bear.  In  the  public  danger, 
private  misfortunes  were  not  thought  of.  They 
expected  hourly  an  attack  from  the  Russians, 
Danes,  Prussians,  Saxons,  and  the  English. 
Their  fear  was  so  strong,  and  so  well  justified, 
that  those  who  possessed  valuables  buried 
them. 

It  was  a  surprise  to  all  Europe,  who  had 
still  an  eye  on  Charles,  when,  instead  of  de 
fending  his  country  about  to  be  attacked  by 
so  many  princes,  he  invaded  Norway  at  the 
head  of  20,000  men.  Since  the  time  of  Hanni 
bal  there  had  been  no  instance  of  a  general 
who,  unable  to  hold  his  own  against  his  ene- 


314     History  of  Charles  XII 

mies  at  home,  had  gone  to  attack  them  in 
their  own  dominions.  His  brother-in-law,  the 
Prince  of  Hesse,  accompanied  him.  There  is 
no  way  from  Sweden  to  Norway  except  by 
dangerous  by-ways,  where  at  every  turn  one 
meets  with  pools  of  water,  formed  by  the  sea 
between  the  rocks ;  bridges  have  to  be  made 
every  day.  A  very  few  Danes  might  have 
stopped  the  Swedish  army,  but  they  were  not 
ready  for  such  a  rapid  invasion. 

Europe  was  still  more  surprised  to  find  the 
Czar  so  quiet,  without  descending  on  Sweden 
as  he  had  intended. 

The  reason  was  that  he  had  a  plan,  which 
was  one  of  the  greatest,  and  one  of  the  most 
difficult  to  carry  out,  that  has  ever  been  con 
ceived. 

Baron  Gortz,  a  Franconian  by  birth,  and 
Baron  of  the  empire,  having  done  the  King  of 
Sweden  important  services  during  his  sojourn 
at  Bender,  was  now  his  favourite  and  Prime 
Minister.  He  was  the  boldest  and  the  most 
diplomatic  of  men  :  full  of  resource  in  advers 
ity,  ambitious  in  his  plans,  and  active  in  his 
policy,  no  project  was  too  ambitious  for  him,  no 
means  too  dear  for  his  end ;  he  was  prodigal 
with  presents,  oaths,  truth  and  falsehood. 
From  Sweden  he  went  to  England,  France, 
Holland,  to  himself  lay  the  train  which  he 
meant  to  use ;  he  was  able  to  inflame  all 
Europe,  and  that  was  his  idea.  What  his 
master  was  at  the  head  of  an  army,  he  was  in 


History  of  Charles  XII     315 

the  cabinet,  and  this  gave  him  more  influence 
over  Charles  than  any  minister  had  ever  had 
before.  This  King,  who  from  the  age  of 
twenty  had  given  orders  to  Court  Piper,  was 
now  willing  to  receive  them  from  Baron  Gortz, 
and  was  the  more  submissive  because  his  mis 
fortunes  had  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  ask 
advice,  and  because  Gortz 's  advice  suited  with 
his  courageous  disposition.  He  found  that  of 
all  the  princes  in  league  against  him  Charles 
felt  especially  resentful  to  George  of  Hanover, 
King  of  England  :  because  he  was  the  only 
one  whom  Charles  had  never  injured,  and  had 
entered  into  the  affair  only  as  a  mediator,  with 
intent  to  hold  Bremen  and  Verden,  which  he 
bought  for  a  trifle  from  the  King  of  Denmark. 

It  was  early  that  he  discovered  the  Czar's 
secret  discontent  with  the  allies,  who  all  wanted 
to  prevent  his  getting  any  footing  in  Germany. 

Since  the  year  1714  the  Czar  had  been  in  a 
position  to  make  a  descent  on  Sweden,  but 
whether  he  could  not  agree  with  the  Kings  of 
Poland,  England,  Denmark,  and  Prussia,  allies 
whose  suspicions  were  justifiable,  or  whether 
he  thought  his  troops  not  seasoned  enough  to 
attack  that  people  at  home,  whose  very  pea 
sants  had  beat  the  pick  of  the  Danish  forces, 
he  still  took  care  to  put  it  off. 

The  want  of  money  was  what  had  hitherto 
delayed  him.  For  the  Czar  was  one  of  the 
greatest  monarchs  in  the  world,  but  not  one 
of  the  richest,  his  revenue  not  amounting  to 


316     History  of  Charles  XII 

more  than  18,000,000  French  francs.  He  had 
discovered  gold,  silver,  iron  and  copper  mines, 
but  the  profit  they  yielded  was  uncertain,  and 
the  working-  of  them  expensive.  He  had  estab 
lished  a  great  trade,  yet  at  first  it  did  not 
flourish ;  his  new  conquests  increased  his 
power  and  his  fame,  but  brought  him  very  little 
treasure. 

Time  was  necessary  to  bind  up  the  wounds 
of  Livonia,  a  fertile  country  which  had  suffered 
much  from  a  fifteen  years'  war,  by  fire,  sword 
and  plague — almost  desolate  of  inhabitants, 
and  a  burden  to  the  conqueror.  The  fleets  he 
now  maintained ;  and  every  day  some  new 
enterprise  was  exhausting  all  his  treasures. 
He  had  been  reduced  to  the  bad  expedient  of 
raising  the  value  of  the  coinage,  a  remedy 
which  never  cures  the  evil,  and  is  particularly 
injurious  to  any  country  where  the  imports 
exceed  the  exports.  It  was  upon  these  grounds 
that  Gortz  had  laid  the  basis  of  a  revolution ; 
he  was  bold  enough  to  suggest  to  the  King 
of  Sweden  that  he  should  make  peace  with  the 
Czar,  insinuating  that  the  Czar  was  very  angry 
with  the  Kings  of  Poland  and  England,  and 
that  Peter  and  Charles  together  might  make 
the  rest  of  Europe  tremble. 

There  was  no  making  peace  with  the  Czar, 
unless  he  yielded  a  good  many  provinces  to 
the  east  and  west  of  the  Baltic,  but  he  called 
his  attention  to  the  fact  that  in  yielding  such 
places  as  the  Czar  possessed  already,  and  which 


History  of  Charles  XII     317 

he  could  not  possibly  regain,  he  might  have  the 
honour  of  replacing  Stanislas  on  the  throne  of 
Poland,  and  setting  James  II 's  son  upon  that  of 
England,  besides  restoring  the  Duke  of  Holstein. 

Charles  was  pleased  with  all  this,  and 
without  giving  the  matter  much  considera 
tion  he  gave  the  minister  full  powers  to  act : 
Gortz  left  Sweden  with  carte  blanche  for  any 
prince  he  wished  to  treat  with.  His  first 
business  was  to  try  how  the  Court  of  Moscow 
stood,  which  he  did  through  the  Czar's  chief 
physician,  a  man  devoted  to  the  Pretender's 
interests,  as  most  of  the  Scots  are,  where  they 
are  not  in  the  pay  of  the  English  Court.  This 
physician  represented  to  Prince  Menzikoff,  with 
all  the  eagerness  of  a  man  much  interested, 
the  greatness  and  importance  of  such  a  plan. 
Prince  Menzikoff  was  pleased  with  it,  and  the 
Czar  approved  it.  Instead  of  an  invasion  of 
Sweden  he  sent  his  troops  to  winter  in  Meck 
lenburg,  and  came  there  himself  on  the  pretext 
of  settling  some  disputes  between  his  nephew 
the  Duke  and  his  nobles  :  his  real  object  was 
to  gain  a  principality  in  Germany,  for  which  he 
hoped  to  bargain  with  the  Duke. 

The  allies  were  angry  at  this  step,  not  caring 
to  have  so  terrible  and  formidable  a  neighbour, 
who,  should  he  once  gain  German  provinces, 
might  become  Emperor  and  oppress  the  sove 
reigns.  The  greater  was  their  resentment,  the 
more  that  Gortz 's  plan  flourished.  But  he 
negotiated  with  all  the  confederates  in  order  to 


3i8     History  of  Charles  XII 

conceal  his  private  intrigues.  The  Czar  fed 
them  all  with  vain  hopes.  Charles  was  all  this 
while  with  his  brother-in-law  in  Norway  at 
the  head  of  20,000  men,  the  country  was  de 
fended  by  110,000  Danes  in  separate  bands, 
which  were  routed  by  the  King  and  Prince  of 
Hesse.  Charles  advanced  to  Christiania,  the 
capital,  and  fortune  smiled  on  him  again,  but 
from  want  of  provisions  he  was  forced  to  retire 
to  Sweden,  there  to  await  the  result  of  his 
minister's  plan. 

This  affair  was  to  be  carried  through  with 
profound  secrecy,  and  elaborate  preparations 
were  necessary  :  these  two  are  incompatible. 
Gortz  planned  to  go  as  far  as  Asia  in  his  quest, 
and  though  the  means  seemed  undesirable,  it 
would  at  least  bring  men,  money  and  ships  to 
Sweden,  which  could  be  used  for  an  attack  on 
Scotland. 

For  some  time  the  pirates  of  all  nations,  and 
especially  the  English,  had  banded  themselves 
together  to  infest  the  seas  of  Europe  and 
America;  they  had  received  no  quarter  and 
had  retired  to  Madagascar,  a  large  island  on 
the  east  coast  of  Africa ;  they  were  quite 
desperate,  and  famed  for  actions  which  would 
have  made  them  heroes  had  they  been  legal. 
They  wanted  a  prince  to  take  them  under  his 
protection,  but  international  law  shut  them  out 
from  every  harbour. 

When  they  heard  that  Charles  XII  was  re 
turned  to  Sweden  they  hoped  that,  as  lie  was 


History  of  Charles  XII     319 

devoted  to  war  and  forced  to  take  share  in  it, 
and  needed  a  fleet  and  soldiers,  he  would  be 
glad  to  make  terms  with  them.  So  they  sent 
a  deputy,  who  travelled  to  Europe  in  a  Dutch 
ship,  to  propose  to  Baron  Gortz  that  they 
might  be  received  at  Gottemburg,  where  they 
promised  to  prepare  three-score  ships  loaded 
with  treasure. 

The  Baron  persuaded  the  King  to  agree,  and 
two  Swedes  were  sent  to  negotiate  with  them. 
Then  more  honourable  and  substantial  help 
came  from  Cardinal  Alberoni,  who  directed  the 
government  of  Spain  long  enough  for  his  own 
reputation  but  not  for  the  good  and  glory  of 
that  kingdom. 

He  took  up  the  project  of  setting  James  II 's 
son  on  the  English  throne  with  great  enthusi 
asm.  But  as  he  had  only  just  taken  up  the 
ministry,  and  Spain  was  to  be  settled  before 
he  could  attempt  to  overthrow  thrones,  it  ap 
peared  that  there  was  no  great  likelihood  of 
his  undertaking  the  task  at  present.  Yet  in 
two  years  he  had  done  so  much  for  Spain, 
and  had  so  raised  her  prestige  in  Europe  that 
he  had  got  the  Turks  (it  is  reported)  to  attack 
the  Emperor.  Then  he  took  steps  to  remove 
the  Duke  of  Orleans  from  the  Regency  and 
King  George  from  the  English  throne.  Such 
danger  lies  in  the  power  of  one  single  man 
who  is  absolute,  and  has  the  sense  and  capacity 
to  use  his  power. 

Gortz,    having   made   this   beginning   in   the 


320     History  of  Charles  XII 

Courts  of  Russia  and  Spain,  went  secretly  to 
France,  and  thence  to  Holland,  where  he  inter 
viewed  representatives  of  the  Pretender's  party. 
He  got  special  information  concerning  the 
strength,  number,  and  position  of  the  dis 
affected  in  England,  what  money  they  could 
raise,  and  what  men  they  could  put  in  the 
field.  They  only  wanted  10,000  men,  with 
which  they  would  feel  assured  of  success. 
Count  Gyllemburg,  the  Swedish  ambassador  in 
England,  acting  under  Gortz's  instructions, 
had  several  meetings  with  the  disaffected ;  he 
encouraged  them  and  promised  them  all  they 
wanted.  The  Pretender's  party  even  advanced 
considerable  sums,  which  Gortz  received  in 
Holland,  and  with  which  he  bought  ships  and 
ammunition. 

Then  he  secretly  sent  some  officers  to  France, 
especially  a  certain  Folard,  who,  having  served 
in  thirty  French  campaigns  without  mending 
his  fortune,  had  volunteered  with  Charles,  not 
with  any  ulterior  motive,  but  just  to  serve 
under  a  prince  with  such  a  reputation.  He 
especially  hoped  to  get  the  Prince  to  adopt 
the  new  discoveries  he  had  made  in  the  art  of 
war,  which  he  had  studied  theoretically  and 
had  published  views  of  in  a  commentary  of  Poly- 
bius.  Charles  was  pleased  with  his  ideas,  and, 
as  he  was  never  governed  by  convention,  he 
intended  to  make  use  of  Folard  in  his  attack 
on  Scotland. 

The  main  point  for  Baron  de  Gortz  was  to 


History  of  Charles  XII     321 

settle  a  peace  between  Charles  and  the  Czar, 
in  spite  of  the  many  difficulties  in  the  way. 
Baron  Osterman,  a  man  of  weight  in  Russia, 
was  not  so  ready  to  agree  with  Gortz.  He 
was  as  cautious  as  the  other  was  enthusiastic. 
One  was  for  letting  things  gradually  ripen,  the 
other  wanted  to  reap  and  sow  together.  Oster 
man  was  afraid  his  master,  pleased  with  the 
plan,  would  grant  too  advantageous  terms  with 
Sweden,  and  so  delayed  the  conclusion  of  the 
matter.  Luckily  for  Gortz  the  Czar  himself 
came  to  Holland  at  the  beginning  of  1717  on 
the  way  to  France,  for  he  had  yet  to  see  this 
nation,  criticized,  envied,  and  imitated  by  all 
Europe.  He  wanted  to  satisfy  his  insatiable 
curiosity,  but  also  he  hoped  to  arrange  some 
political  matters. 

Gortz  had  two  talks  with  the  Emperor  at 
the  Hague,  and  did  more  by  their  means  than 
he  could  have  done  in  six  months  with  pleni 
potentiaries.  Everything  went  well,  his  great 
plans  seemed  quite  unsuspected,  and  he  hoped 
they  would  only  be  known  to  Europe  in  their 
execution.  The  first  who  discovered  these 
intrigues  was  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  Regent 
of  France,  who  had  spies  everywhere.  The 
Duke,  having  personal  obligations  to  the  King 
of  England,  made  the  discovery  of  the  whole 
plot  against  him.  At  the  same  time  the  Dutch, 
having  suspicions  of  Gortz 's  behaviour,  com 
municated  them  to  the  English  ministry.  Gortz 
and  Gyllemburg  were  getting  on  with  their 

Y 


322     History  of  Charles  XII 

schemes  rapidly,  when  one  was  arrested  at  the 
Hague  and  the  other  in  London. 

As  Gyllemburg  had  broken  international  law 
by  the  conspiracy  they  did  not  scruple  in  Eng 
land  to  attack  his  person.  But  it  was  thought 
exceedingly  strange  that  the  States-General 
imprisoned  Baron  Gortz  out  of  mere  friendship 
for  the  King  of  England.  They  even  went  so 
far  as  to  appoint  Count  Velderen  to  question 
him.  This  was  going  very  far,  and  as  it 
turned  out,  only  added  to  their  confusion. 
Gortz  asked  Velderen  if  he  knew  him.  '"  Yes," 
said  the  Dutchman.  "Well,  then,"  he  an 
swered,  "  you  must  then  be  aware  that  I  shall 
only  answer  what  I  like." 

All  the  foreign  ministers  protested  against 
the  wrong  done  to  the  persons  of  Gortz  and 
Gyllemburg.  Nothing  could  excuse  the  Dutch 
from  breaking  so  sacred  a  law  in  seizing  the 
King  of  Sweden's  premier,  who  had  never  done 
anything  against  them,  and  so  violating  the 
spirit  of  freedom  which  has  attracted  so  many 
strangers  and  has  been  the  cause  of  her  great 
ness.  The  King  of  England  acted  within  his 
rights  in  seizing  an  enemy,  so  that  the  letters 
found  among  Gyllemburg 's  papers  from  him  to 
Gortz  were  printed  to  justify  the  King's  pro 
ceedings. 

The  King  of  Sweden  was  in  Scania  when 
the  printed  letters  came  with  the  news  of  his 
ministers  having  been  seized.  He  only  smiled 
and  asked  if  his  letters  were  printed  too,  and 


History  of  Charles  XII     323 

ordered  the  English  ambassador  and  all  his 
family  to  be  seized.  But  he  could  not  take 
the  same  vengeance  on  the  Dutch,  because 
they  had  no  minister  then  at  the  Court  of 
Sweden.  He  kept  a  disdainful  silence  towards 
England  and  Holland. 

The  Czar's  behaviour  was  just  the  opposite  : 
as  he  was  not  named  but  only  hinted  at  by 
distant  references  in  the  letters  of  Gortz  and 
Gyllemburg,  he  wrote  a  long  letter  full  of 
congratulations  to  the  King  of  England  on  the 
discovery,  with  assurances  of  his  good-will. 
King  George  received  his  protestations  with 
incredulity,  but  pretended  to  believe  them.  A 
plot  laid  by  private  men  is  at  an  end  when 
once  discovered,  but  where  kings  are  concerned 
a  discovery  only  makes  it  go  further.  The 
Czar  came  to  Paris  in  1717,  and  did  not  spend 
all  his  time  in  viewing  the  wonders  of  art  and 
nature  there  :  the  academies,  public  libraries, 
cabinets  of  the  antiquaries  and  royal  palaces. 
He  made  a  proposal  to  the  Regent  which,  had 
it  been  accepted,  would  have  put  the  finishing 
touch  to  the  greatness  of  Russia.  It  was  this  : 
to  himself  ally  with  the  King  of  Sweden,  who 
would  yield  many  countries  to  him,  to  take 
from  the  Danes  their  power  in  the  Baltic,  to 
weaken  England  by  a  civil  war,  and  to  attract 
to  Russia  all  the  trade  of  the  North.  He  had 
thoughts,  too,  of  setting  up  Stanislas  against 
King  Augustus,  so  that  when  the  fire  was 
kindled  in  all  directions  he  could  fan  the  flame 


324     History  of  Charles  XII 

or  damp  it  as  he  saw  fit.  With  these  views  he 
proposed  to  the  King's  Regent  to  mediate 
between  Sweden  and  Russia,  and  to  make  an 
offensive  and  defensive  alliance  with  them  and 
Spain.  The  treaty,  though  so  natural  and 
so  useful  to  the  nations  concerned,  putting 
into  their  hands  the  balancing  of  power  in 
Europe,  was  yet  rejected  by  Orleans,  for  he 
did  just  the  opposite  and  made  a  league  with 
the  Emperor  and  the  King  of  England. 

Political  motives  were  then  so  powerful 
with  all  princes  that  the  Czar  was  going  to 
declare  war  against  his  old  friend  Augustus, 
and  to  help  Charles  his  mortal  enemy;  while 
France,  for  the  sake  of  the  English  and  Ger 
mans,  was  going  to  declare  war  against  a  grand 
son  of  Louis  XIV,  after  having  so  long  sup 
ported  him  at  great  expenditure  of  blood  and 
treasure  against  those  very  enemies.  All  that 
the  Czar  could  obtain  was  that  the  Regent 
should  interpose  for  the  freeing  of  Baron  Gortz 
and  Gyllemburg.  He  returned  to  Russia  about 
the  end  of  June,  having  shown  a  rare  example 
of  an  emperor  travelling  to  improve  his  mind. 
But  what  most  of  the  French  people  saw  of 
him  was  a  rough,  unpolished  exterior,  the 
result  of  his  education,  while  they  were  blind 
to  the  legislator  and  the  genius  who  had 
founded  a  new  nation.  What  he  had  sought 
for  in  Orleans  he  soon  found  in  Alberoni,  who 
governed  all  Spain.  Alberoni  wanted  to  restore 
the  Pretender  :  first  as  the  minister  of  Spain, 


History  of  Charles  XII     325 

so  ill-used  by  the  English,  and  secondly  because 
he  had  a  personal  quarrel  with  the  Duke  of 
Orleans  for  his  close  alliance  with  England 
against  Spain;  besides,  he  was  a  priest  of 
that  Church  for  which  the  Pretender's  father 
had  lost  his  crown. 

The  Duke  of  Ormond,  as  unpopular  in  Eng 
land  as  the  Duke  of  Marlborough  was  admired, 
had  left  the  country  at  the  time  of  George's 
accession,  and  was  now  in  Spain.  He  went 
with  full  powers  from  the  King  of  Spain  to 
meet  the  Czar,  in  Courland,  accompanied  by  a 
certain  D'Irnegan,  an  Englishman  of  ability 
and  daring.  The  business  was  to  ask  the 
Princess  Anna,  the  Czar's  daughter,  for  mar 
riage  with  James's  son,  in  the  hopes  that  such 
an  alliance  would  bring  the  Czar  over  to  the 
King's  side.  Baron  Gortz,  among  his  other 
schemes,  had  intended  this  lady  for  the  Duke 
of  Holstein,  who  did  marry  her  later.  As 
soon  as  he  heard  of  the  Duke  of  Ormond 's 
plan  he  grew  jealous  and  did  what  he  could  to 
defeat  it. 

He  left  prison  in  August  with  the  Count 
Gyllemburg,  without  any  apology  from  the 
Swedish  to  the  English  King.  At  the  same 
time  the  English  ambassador  and  his  family 
were  released  at  Stockholm,  where  their  treat 
ment  had  been  a  great  deal  worse  than  Gyllem 
burg 's  in  London. 

Gortz  at  liberty  was  an  implacable  enemy, 
for  besides  his  other  aims  he  now  sought 


326     History  of  Charles  XII 

vengeance.  He  went  posthaste  to  the  Czar, 
who  was  now  better  pleased  with  him  than 
ever,  for  he  undertook  to  remove  in  less  than 
three  months  all  obstacles  to  a  peace  with 
Sweden.  He  took  up  a  map  which  the  Czar 
had  drawn  himself,  and,  drawing  a  line  from 
Wibourg,  by  Lake  Ladoga,  up  to  the  frozen 
ocean,  promised  to  bring  his  master  to  part 
with  all  that  lay  east  of  that  line,  besides 
Carelia,  Ingria,  and  Livonia.  Then  he  men 
tioned  the  marriage  of  the  Czar's  daughter  to 
the  Duke  of  Holstein,  holding  out  hopes  that 
the  Duke  would  readily  give  his  country  in 
stead,  and  if  once  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Empire  the  Imperial  crown  would,  of  course, 
come  to  him  or  some  of  his  descendants.  The 
Czar  named  the  isle  of  Aland  for  the  confer 
ences  between  Osterman  and  Gortz ;  he  asked 
the  English  Duke  of  Ormond  to  withdraw  lest 
the  English  Court  should  take  alarm.  But 
D'Irneg-an,  his  confidant,  remained  in  the  town 
with  many  precautions,  for  he  only  went  out  at 
night  and  never  saw  the  Czar's  ministers  but 
in  the  disguise  of  either  a  peasant  or  a  Tartar. 

As  soon  as  the  Duke  of  Ormond  went,  the 
Czar  impressed  upon  the  King  his  courtesy  in 
having  sent  away  the  chief  partisan  of  the 
Pretender,  and  Baron  Gortz  returned  to  Sweden 
with  great  hopes  of  success. 

He  found  his  master  at  the  head  of  30,000 
troops  with  all  the  coast  guarded  by  militia. 
The  King  needed  nothing  but  money,  but  he 


History  of  Charles  XII     327 

had  no  credit  at  home  or  abroad.  France, 
under  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  would  give  him 
none.  He  was  promised  money  from  Spain, 
but  that  country  was  not  yet  in  a  position  to 
support  him. 

Baron    Gortz    then    tried    a    project    he    had 
tried  before.     He  gave  copper  the  same  value 
as  silver,  so  that  a  copper  coin  whose  intrinsic 
value  was  a  halfpenny  might,   with  the  royal 
mark,   pass  for  thirty  or  forty  pence,  just  as 
the  governors  of  besieged   towns   have   some 
times   paid   their  soldiers   with   leather   money 
till    they    could   get    better.      Such    expedients 
may  be  useful  in  a  free  country,  and  have  often 
been  the  salvation  of  a  republic,  but  they  are 
sure  to  ruin  a  monarchy,  for  the  people  quickly 
lose  confidence,  the  minister  is  unable  to  keep 
faith,   the   money   paper   increases,   individuals 
bury   their   specie,    and   the   whole   plan   fails, 
often   with   disastrous    results.     This   was    the 
case  in  Sweden.     Baron  Gortz  had  paid  out  his 
new  coin  with  discretion,  but  was  soon  carried 
beyond  what  he  had  intended  by  forces  he  could 
not    check.      Everything    became    excessively 
dear,   so  that  he  was  obliged  to  multiply  his 
copper  coin.     The   more   there   was   of   it   the 
less    was    its    value.     Sweden    was    inundated 
with  this  false  money,   and  one  and  all  com 
plained  of  Gortz.     So  great  was  the  veneration 
of    the    people    for    Charles    that    they    could 
not    hate    him,    so    the    weight    of    their    dis 
pleasure     fell    on    the    minister    who,     as 


_     a 

Y    2 


328     History  of  Charles  XII 

foreigner  and  financier,  was  sure  to  suffer  their 
opprobrium. 

A  tax  that  he  arranged  on  the  clergy  gave 
the  final  touch  to  the  universal  hatred;  priests 
are  only  too  ready  to  plead  that  their  cause  is 
God's,  and  publicly  declared  him  an  atheist, 
because  he  asked  for  their  money.  The  new 
coins  were  embossed  with  the  figure  of  heathen 
gods,  and  hence  they  called  them  the  gods  of 
Gortz. 

The  ministry  joined  in  the  universal  hatred 
of  him,  all  the  more  ardently  because  they 
were  powerless.  None  in  the  country  liked 
him  except  the  King,  whom  his  unpopularity 
confirmed  in  his  affection.  He  placed  absolute 
confidence  in  him,  giving  him  also  his  entire 
confidence  at  home.  He  trusted  to  him,  too, 
all  negotiations  with  the  Czar,  especially  as  to 
the  conference  at  Aland,  which  of  all  things  he 
wished  to  urge  on  with  the  greatest  haste. 

As  soon  as  Gortz  had  completed  at  Stock 
holm  the  arrangements  for  the  treasury  which 
demanded  his  presence,  he  went  away  to  com 
plete  with  Osterman  the  great  work  he  had 
in  hand.  These  were  the  preliminaries  of  that 
alliance  which  was  to  have  changed  the  face  of 
affairs  in  Europe,  as  they  were  found  among 
Gortz 's  papers. 

The  Czar  was  to  keep  Livonia,  part  of  In- 
gria,  and  Carelia,  leaving  the  rest  to  Sweden. 
He  was  to  join  Charles  in  restoring  Stanislas, 
and  to  send  to  Poland  80,000  men  to  dethrone 


History  of  Charles  XII     329 

the  very  king  on  whose  side  he  had  been  fight 
ing-  for  so  many  years  before ;  he  was  to  supply 
ships  to  carry  30,000  to  Germany  and  10,000 
to  England ;  the  forces  of  both  were  to  attack 
the  King  of  England's  German  dominions, 
especially  Bremen  and  Verden ;  the  same  troops 
were  to  restore  the  Duke  of  Holstein  and 
force  the  King  of  Prussia  to  an  agreement 
by  parting  with  a  good  deal  of  his  new  acquisi 
tions. 

Charles  acted  henceforth  as  if  his  own 
victorious  troops  had  done  all  this,  and  de 
manded  of  the  Emperor  the  execution  of  the 
peace  of  Altranstadt.  But  the  Court  of  Vienna 
scarcely  deigned  an  answer  to  one  whom  they 
feared  so  little.  The  King  of  Poland  was 
not  altogether  so  safe,  but  saw  the  storm  com 
ing.  Fleming  was  the  most  suspicious  man 
alive  and  the  least  reliable.  He  suspected  the 
designs  of  the  Czar  and  the  King  of  Sweden 
in  favour  of  Stanislas,  so  he  endeavoured  to 
have  him  taken  off  to  Deux  Ponts,  as  James 
Sobieski  had  been  in  Silesia.  But  Stanislas 
was  on  his  guard,  and  the  design  miscarried. 

In  the  meantime  Charles  was  making  a 
second  attempt  upon  Norway  in  October  1718. 
He  had  so  arranged  matters  that  he  hoped  to 
be  master  of  the  country  in  six  months. 

The  winter  is  fierce  enough  in  Sweden  to 
kill  the  animals  that  live  there,  but  he  chose 
to  go  and  conquer  rocks  where  the  climate  is 
more  severe  and  the  snow  and  ice  much  worse 


330     History  of  Charles  XII 

than  in  Sweden,  instead  of  trying  to  regain  his 
beautiful  provinces  in  Germany. 

He  hoped  his  new  alliance  with  the  Czar 
would  soon  make  it  possible  for  him  to  retake 
them,  and  his  ambition  was  gratified  by  the 
thought  of  taking  a  kingdom  from  his  victori 
ous  foe. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  river  Tistendall,  near 
the  bay  of  Denmark,  between  Bahus  and  Anslo, 
stands  Fredericshall,  a  place  of  strength  and 
importance,  which  is  considered  the  key  to  the 
kingdom.  Charles  began  its  siege  in  Decem 
ber.  The  cold  was  so  extreme  that  the  soldiers 
could  hardly  break  the  ground.  It  was  like 
digging  trenches  in  rock,  but  the  Swedes  were 
nothing  daunted  by  fatigue  which  the  King 
shared  so  readily.  Charles  had  never  suffered 
so  severely.  His  constitution  was  so  hardened 
by  sixteen  years'  hardship  that  he  would  sleep 
in  the  open  in  a  Norwegian  mid-winter  on 
boards  or  straw,  wrapped  only  in  his  mantle, 
and  yet  keep  his  health. 

Some  of  the  soldiers  fell  dead  at  their  posts, 
but  others  who  were  nearly  dying  dare  not 
complain  when  they  saw  their  King  bearing  it 
all.  Just  before  this  expedition  he  heard  of 
a  woman  who  had  lived  for  several  months  on 
nothing  but  water,  and  he  who  had  tried  all 
his  life  to  bear  the  hardest  extremes  that  nature 
can  bear  resolved  to  try  how  long  he  could  fast. 
He  neither  ate  nor  drank  for  five  days,  and  on 
the  sixth,  in  the  morning,  he  rode  two  leagues 


History  of  Charles  XII     331 

to  his  brother's,  where  he  ate  heartily,  yet 
neither  his  large  meal  nor  his  long  fast 
incommoded  him. 

With  such  a  body  of  iron,  and  a  soul  of  so 
much  strength  and  courage,  there  was  not  one 
of  his  neighbours  who  did  not  fear  him. 

On  the  nth  of  December,  St.  Andrew's  day, 
he  went  to  view  his  trenches  at  about  nine 
in  the  evening,  and  finding  the  parallel  not 
advanced  as  much  as  he  wished,  he  was  a 
little  vexed  at  it.  But  M.  Megret,  the  French 
engineer  who  was  conducting  the  siege,  told 
him  the  place  would  be  taken  in  eight  days' 
time.  "  We  shall  see,"  said  the  King,  "  what 
can  be  done."  Then,  going  on  with  the  engi 
neer  to  examine  the  works,  he  stopped  at  the 
place  where  the  branch  made  an  angle  with 
the  parallel ;  kneeling  upon  the  inner  slope, 
he  leaned  with  his  elbows  on  the  parapet,  to 
look  at  the  men  who  were  carrying  on  the 
entrenching  by  starlight. 

The  least  details  relating  to  the  death  of 
such  a  man  as  Charles  are  noted.  It  is  there 
fore  my  duty  to  say  that  all  the  conversation 
reported  by  various  writers,  as  having  taken 
place  between  the  King  and  the  engineer,  are 
absolutely  false.  This  is  what  I  know  actually 
happened. 

The  King  stood  with  half  his  body  exposed 
to  a  battery  of  cannon  directed  precisely  at  the 
angle  where  he  stood.  No  one  was  near  him 
but  two  Frenchmen :  one  was  M.  Siquier,  his 


332     History  of  Charles  XII 

aide-de-camp,  a  man  of  capacity  and  energy, 
who  had  entered  his  service  in  Turkey,  and 
was  particularly  attached  to  the  Prince  of 
Hesse;  the  other  was  the  engineer.  The 
cannon  fired  grape-shot,  and  the  King  was 
more  exposed  than  any  of  them.  Not  far  be 
hind  was  Count  Sveren,  who  was  command 
ing  the  trenches.  At  this  moment  Siquier  and 
Megret  saw  the  King  fall  on  the  parapet,  with 
a  deep  sigh;  they  came  near,  but  he  was 
already  dead.  A  ball  weighing  half-a-pound 
had  struck  him  on  the  right  temple,  leaving  a 
hole  large  enough  to  turn  three  fingers  in ; 
his  head  had  fallen  over  the  parapet,  his  left 
eye  was  driven  in  and  his  right  out  of  its 
socket;  death  had  been  instantaneous,  but 
he  had  had  strength  to  put  his  hand  to  his 
sword,  and  lay  in  that  posture. 

At  this  sight  Megret,  an  extraordinary  and 
feelingless  man,  said,  "  Let  us  go  to  supper. 
The  play  is  done."  Siquier  hastened  to  tell 
the  Count  Sveren,  and  they  all  agreed  to  keep 
it  a  secret  till  the  Prince  of  Hesse  could  be 
informed.  They  wrapped  the  corpse  in  a  grey 
cloak,  Siquier  put  on  his  hat  and  wig ;  he  was 
carried  under  the  name  of  Captain  Carlsbern 
through  the  troops,  who  saw  their  dead  King 
pass,  little  thinking  who  it  was. 

The  Prince  at  once  gave  orders  that  no  one 
should  stir  out  of  the  camp,  and  that  all  the 
passes  to  Sweden  should  be  guarded,  till  he 
could  arrange  for  his  wife  to  succeed  to  the 


History  of  Charles  XII     333 

crown,  and  exclude  the  Duke  of  Holstein,  who 
might  aim  at  it. 

Thus  fell  Charles  XII,  King  of  Sweden,  at 
the  age  of  thirty-six  and  a  half,  having  experi 
enced  the  extremes  of  prosperity  and  of 
adversity,  without  being  softened  by  the  one 
or  in  the  least  disturbed  by  the  other.  All  his 
actions,  even  those  of  his  private  life,  are 
almost  incredible.  Perhaps  he  was  the  only 
man,  and  certainly  he  was  the  only  king  who 
never  showed  weakness;  he  carried  all  the 
heroic  virtues  to  that  excess  at  which  they  be 
come  faults  as  dangerous  as  the  opposed 
virtues.  His  resolution,  which  became  obsti 
nacy,  caused  his  misfortunes  in  Ukrania,  and 
kept  him  five  years  in  Turkey.  His  liberality 
degenerated  into  prodigality,  and  ruined 
Sweden.  His  courage,  degenerating  into  rash 
ness,  was  the  cause  of  his  death.  His  justice 
had  been  sometimes  cruel,  and  in  later  years 
his  maintenance  of  his  prerogative  came  not 
far  short  of  tyranny.  His  great  qualities,  any 
one  of  which  would  immortalize  another  prince, 
were  a  misfortune  to  his  country.  He  never 
began  a  quarrel;  but  he  was  rather  implacable 
than  wise  in  his  anger.  He  was  the  first  whose 
ambition  it  was  to  be  a  conqueror,  without 
wishing  to  increase  his  dominions.  He  desired 
to  gain  kingdoms  with  the  object  of  giving 
them  away.  His  passion  for  glory,  war,  and 
vengeance  made  him  too  little  of  a  politician, 
without  which  none  has  ever  been  a  conqueror. 


334     History  of  Charles  XII 

Before  a  battle  he  was  full  of  confidence,  very 
modest  after  a  victory,  and  undaunted  in  defeat. 
Sparing  others  no  more  than  himself,  he  made 
small  account  of  his  own  and  his  subjects' 
labours ;  he  was  an  extraordinary  rather  than 
a  great  man,  and  rather  to  be  imitated  than 
admired.  But  his  life  may  be  a  lesson  to  kings 
and  teach  them  that  a  peaceful  and  happy  reign 
is  more  desirable  than  so  much  glory. 

Charles  XII  was  tall  and  well  shaped.  He 
had  a  fine  forehead,  large  blue  eyes,  full  of 
gentleness,  and  a  well-shaped  nose,  but  the 
lower  part  of  his  face  was  disagreeable  and 
not  improved  by  his  laugh,  which  was  unbe 
coming.  He  had  little  beard  or  hair,  he  spoke 
little,  and  often  answered  only  by  the  smile 
which  was  habitual  to  him. 

Profound  silence  was  preserved  at  his  table. 
With  all  his  inflexibility  he  was  timid  and  bash 
ful;  he  would  have  been  embarrassed  by  con- 
'{  versation,  because,  as  he  had  given  up  his 
whole  life  to  practical  warfare,  he  knew 
nothing  of  the  ways  of  society.  Before  his 
long  leisure  in  Turkey  he  had  never  read  any 
thing  but  Cesar's  commentaries  and  the 
history  of  Alexander,  but  he  had  made  some 
observations  on  war,  and  on  his  own  cam 
paigns  from  1700-1709;  he  told  this  to  the 
Chevalier  Folard,  and  said  that  the  MSS. 
had  been  lost  at  the  unfortunate  battle  of 
Pultawa.  As  to  religion,  though  a  prince's 
sentiments  ought  not  to  influence  other  men, 


History  of  Charles  XII     335 

and  though  the  opinion  of  a  king  so  ill- 
informed  as  Charles  should  have  no  weight  in 
such  matters,  yet  men's  curiosity  on  this  point 
too  must  be  satisfied. 

I  have  it  from  the  person  who  has  supplied 
me  with  most  of  my  material  for  this  history, 
that  Charles  was  a  strict  Lutheran  till  the 
year  1707,  when  he  met  the  famous  philosopher 
Leibnitz,  who  was  a  great  freethinker,  and 
talked  freely,  and  had  already  converted  more 
than  one  prince  to  his  views.  I  do  not  believe 
that  Charles  imbibed  freethought  in  conversa 
tion  with  this  philosopher,  since  they  only  had 
a  quarter  of  an  hour  together;  but  M.  Fabri- 
cius,  who  lived  familiarly  with  him  seven  years 
afterwards,  told  me  that  in  his  leisure  in 
Turkey,  having  come  in  contact  with  diverse 
forms  of  faith,  he  went  further  still. 

I  cannot  help  noticing  here  a  slander  that  is 
often  spread  concerning  the  death  of  princes, 
by  malicious  or  credulous  folk,  viz.,  that  when 
princes  die  they  are  either  poisoned  or  assassin 
ated.  The  report  spread  in  Germany  that  M. 
Siquier  had  killed  the  King ;  that  brave  officer 
was  long  annoyed  at  the  report,  and  one  day 
he  said  to  me,  "  I  might  have  killed  a  King 
of  Sweden,  but  for  this  hero  I  had  such  a 
respect  that,  had  I  wished  to  do  it,  I  should 
not  have  dared." 

I  know  that  it  was  this  Siquier  himself  who 
originated  this  fatal  accusation,  which  some 
Swedes  still  believe,  for  he  told  me  that  at 


336     History  of  Charles  XII 

Stockholm,  when  delirious,  he  shouted  that  he 
had  killed  the  King  of  Sweden,  that  he  had 
even  in  his  madness  opened  the  window  and 
publicly  asked  pardon  for  the  crime;  when  on 
his  recovery  he  learned  what  he  had  said  in 
delirium,  he  was  ready  to  die  with  mortifica 
tion.  I  did  not  wish  to  reveal  this  story  during 
his  life;  I  saw  him  shortly  before  his  death, 
and  I  am  convinced  that,  far  from  having 
murdered  Charles,  he  would  willingly  have  laid 
down  his  life  for  him  a  thousand  times  over. 
Had  he  been  capable  of  such  a  crime  it  could 
only  have  been  to  serve  some  foreign  Power 
who  would  no  doubt  have  recompensed  him 
handsomely,  yet  he  died  in  poverty  at  Paris, 
and  had  even  to  apply  to  his  family  for  aid. 

As  soon  as  he  was  dead  the  siege  of  Frederic- 
shall  was  raised.  The  Swedes,  to  whom  his 
glory  had  been  a  burden  rather  than  a  joy, 
made  peace  with  their  neighbours  as  fast  as 
they  could,  and  soon  put  an  end  to  that  abso 
lute  power  of  which  Baron  Gortz  had  wearied 
them.  The  States  elected  Charles's  sister 
Queen,  and  forced  her  to  solemnly  renounce 
her  hereditary  right  to  the  throne,  so  that  she 
held  it  only  by  the  people's  choice.  She 
promised  by  oath  on  oath  that  she  would  never 
secure  arbitrary  government,  and  afterwards, 
her  love  of  power  overcome  by  her  love  for  her 
husband,  she  resigned  the  crown  in  his  favour 
and  persuaded  the  States  to  choose  him,  which 
they  did  under  the  same  condition.  Baron 


History  of  Charles  XII     337 

Gortz  was  seized  after  Charles's  death,  and 
condemned  by  the  Senate  of  Stockholm  to  be 
beheaded  under  the  gallows,  an  instance  rather 
of  revenge  than  of  justice,  and  a  cruel  insult 
to  the  memory  of  a  king  whom  Sweden  still 
admires. 

Charles's  hat  is  preserved  at  Stockholm,  and 
the  smallness  of  the  hole  by  which  it  is  pierced 
is  one  of  the  reasons  for  supposing  he  was 
assassinated. 


INDEX 


ACHMET  III,  Emperor  of  the 
Turks,  187  ;  receives  letter  from 
Charles  XII,  188  ;  treats  the 
king  as  an  honourable  prisoner, 
189-196;  decides  on  war  against 
Russia,  211 ;  imprisons  Russian 
ambassador,  ib.\  his  letter  to 
Charles  XII  offering  to  send 
him  home  with  an  escort,  235, 
236  ;  Sultan  again  declares  war 
against  Russia,  239 ;  again 
makes  peace,  241  ;  sends  money 
and  directions  for  the  King  of 
Sweden's  departure,  244,  245  ; 
sends  peremptory  orders  to  him 
to  leave  his  territory,  251 ;  sends 
orders  to  put  all  the  Swedes  to 
the  sword  and  not  to  spare  the 
king's  life,  254 ;  sends  troops  to 
attack  the  king's  house,  255  ; 
reads  the  petition  presented  him 
by  de  Villelongue,  276 ;  inter 
views  him  in  disguise,  276,  277  ; 
he  banishes  the  Kan  of  Tartary 
and  the  Pasha  of  Bender,  277  ; 
his  farewell  presents  to  Charles 
XII,  287 

Alberoni,  Cardinal,  his  dealings  in 
Spain,  319 ;  sides  with  the 
Pretender,  325 

Altena,  burnt   by  General    Stein- 
bock,  282  ;  terrible  suffering  of 
the  inhabitants,  282,  283 
Altranstadt,  peace  concluded  at, 

130 

Anne,  Queen  of  England,  con- 
eludes  treaty  at  the  Hague,  203  ; 
her  death,  293 

Augustus,  Elector  of  Saxony  and 
King  of  Poland,  17, 19,  20 ;  con 
cludes  treaty  with  Peter  the 
Great  against  Sweden,  34  ; 
besieges  Riga,  46  ;  meeting  with 
Peter  the  Great  at  Brizen,  58  ; 
intrigues  against,  by  opposing 
parties,  70-72  ;  forced  to  flee,  77  ; 
endeavours  to  collect  troops,  78, 
79 ;  his  army  defeated  at 
Clissau,  81 ;  at  Pultask,  85  ; 
withdraws  to  Thorn,  85 ;  is 
declared  by  the  Assembly  in 
capable  of  wearing  the  crown, 


90;  his  narrow  escape  of  1  icing 
captured,  91  ;  advances  on  War 
saw,  ioi  ;  victorious  entry  into, 
102 ;  finally  forced  to  retreat 
from  Poland,  106  ;  is  sent  for  by 
Peter  the  Great  to  conference  at 
Grodno,  113  ;  arrests  Patkul, 
ib. ;  shut  up  in  Cracow,  the  last 
town  left  him,  117;  writes  to 
Charles  XII  asking  for  peace, 
120  ;  his  victory  over  the  Swedes, 
123  ;  enters  Warsaw  in  triumph, 
ib,\  accepts  Charles  XII's  terms 
of  peace,  124;  his  meeting  with, 
at  Gutersdorf,  124, 125  ;  is  forced 
to  write  a  letter  of  congratulation 
to  Stanislas,  125,  126;  and  to 
give  up  his  prisoners,  126 ; 
returns  to  Poland  after  battle  of 
Pultawa,  200  ;  his  embassy  to 
the  Sultan,  239 ;  insists  on 
Charles  XII  being  sent  away, 
241 ;  his  restoration  to  the  Crown 
of  Poland,  294  ;  his  people  force 
him  to  submit  to  the  Pacta 
Conventa,  294 

Azov,  surrendered  to  the  Porte, 
224»  235 

BALTAGI  MAHOMET,  Pasha  of 
Syria,  made  Grand  Vizir,  210; 
has  orders  toattack  the  Russians, 
211  ;  his  answer  to  the  Czar's 
letter  suing  for  peace,  222,  233  ; 
his  terms,  223,  224  ;  concludes  a 
treaty  of  peace  with  the  Czar, 
224,  225  ;  his  efforts  to  force 
Charles  XII  to  depart  from 
Bender,  229,  230  ;  cuts  off  the 
king's  supplies,  231  ;  Ponia- 
towski  plots  against  him,  232  ; 
his  lieutenant  is  executed  and  he 
himself  exiled,  233  ;  his  death, 
ib. 

Bender,  Governor  of,  handsome 
reception  of  Charles  XII  by, 
183 

Borysthenes,  escape  of  Charles 
XII  and  his  troops  to,  after 
Pultawa,  175,  176;  troops 
drowned  while  attempting  to 
cross,  177 


339 


340 


Index 


CALISH,  victory  at,  122,  123 ; 
Peter  the  Great's  commemor 
ation  of,  133 

Calmouks,  their  country,  154  ;  de 
tachment  of,  in  Russian  army, 
Charles  XII's  narrow  escape 
from,  154,  155 

Cantemir,  Prince  of  Moldavia, 
forgets  benefits  received  from 
the  Porte,  and  makes  treaty 
with  the  Czar,  216 

Catherine,  wife  of  Peter  the  Great, 
her  early  history,  220-222 ; 
persuades  the  Czar  to  sue  the 
Grand  Vizir  for  peace,  222 

Charles  XI  abolishes  the  authority 
of  the  Senate,  10  ;  his  character, 
ib.  ;  his  marriage,  ib.  ;  death  of 
his  wife,  13 ;  his  cruelty  to  her 
and  oppression  of  the  people, 
ib.  ;  his  death,  ib. 

Charles  XII,  his  birth,  early  edu 
cation,  tastes  and  character,  u, 
12  ;  anecdotes  of,  12  ;  his  acces 
sion,  13,  14 ;  takes  the  reins  of 
power  into  his  own  hands,  15, 
16 ;  his  coronation,  16,  17  ; 
sudden  transformation  of  his 
character,  37,  38 ;  begins  war 
with  Russia  and  its  allies,  39 ; 
his  skill  and  courage,  40,  41 ; 
his  first  success  in  arms,  43,  44  ; 
concludes  the  war  with  Den 
mark,  46  ;  his  victory  at  Narva 
over  80,000  Russians,  40-54 ; 
war  vessels  constructed  by,  59  ; 
his  artifice  to  hide  his  move 
ments,  59 ;  defeats  the  Saxons 
and  enters  Birzen,  60,  61  ;  his 
further  successes  against  the 
King  of  Poland,  73 ;  refuses  to 
see  the  Countess  of  Konigs- 
marck,  75  ;  receives  the  embassy 
of  the  Polish  State,  76 ;  arrives 
before  Warsaw,  79 ;  his  inter 
view  with  Cardinal  Radjouski, 
80 ;  his  victory  at  Clissau,  81  ; 
enters  Cracow,  82  ;  his  accident 
and  false  report  of  his  death, 
82 ;  his  success  at  Pultask,  85  ; 
his  indifference  to  danger,  86  ; 
besieges  Thorn,  89 ;  resists 
temptation  of  seizing  the  throne 
of  Poland,  92 ;  offers  it  to 
Alexander  Sobiesky,  ib.  ;  re 
ceives  Stanislas  Leczinski  and 
nominates  him  King  of  Poland, 
97, 98  ;  takes  Leopold  by  assault, 
ico ;  joins  Stanislas  against 


Augustus,  103 ;  his  continual 
success,  ib.  ;  his  pursuit  of 
Schtillemburg,  105,  106 ;  his 
preparations  for  the  coronation 
of  Stanislas,  108 ;  present  in 
cognito  at  the  ceremony,  no; 
defeats  Russian  troops,  114, 115 ; 
massacres  his  prisoners,  117  ; 
enters  Saxony,  ib. ',  visits  the 
field  of  Lutzen,  118 ;  levies 
money  and  food  from  the 
Saxons,  118,  119;  his  method 
for  enforcing  good  behaviour 
on  his  troops,  and  their  severe 
discipline,  119 ;  anecdote  of,  and 
soldier,  119,  120;  his  absolute 
rule  in  Saxony,  120  ;  terms  of 
peace  offered  by  him  to  Augustus, 
121  ;  his  troops  defeated  by  the 
Russians,  123  ;  account  of  his 
interview  with  Augustus  at 
Gutersdorf,  124,  125  ;  his  cruel 
sentence  on  Patkul,  127 ;  re 
ceives  ambassadors  from  all 
parts,  135 ;  Duke  of  Marl- 
borough's  interview  with,  135- 
137  ;  his  determination  to 
dethrone  the  Czar,  137,  138 ; 
his  exorbitant  demands  on  the 
Emperor  of  Germany,  138-140; 
sends  officers  to  Asia  and  Egypt 
to  report  on  their  strength,  141  ; 
magnificence  of  his  plans,  ib.  ; 
continues  his  hardy  mode  of 
life,  ib.  ;  account  of  his  visit  to 
Augustus  in  Dresden,  142,  143  ; 
alarm  of  his  officers,  143,  144  ; 
leaves  Saxony  to  pursue  the 
Czar,  147 ;  receives  Turkish 
ambassador,  148  ;  starts  in  search 
of  the  Russians,  149 ;  enters 
Grodno,  ib.  ;  arrives  at  the 
river  Berezine,  151  ;  his  strata 
gem,  ib.  ;  leads  his  forces  on 
foot  and  wins  gloriously  at 
Borysthenes,  152 ;  his  haughty 
answer  to  the  Czar,  153 ;  his 
narrow  escape  from  detachment 
of  Calmouks,  154,  155  ;  leaves 
the  Moscow  road  and  turns 
south  towards  Ukrania,  156; 
his  secret  league  with  Mazeppa, 
158 ;  terrible  difficulties  and 
hardships  of  his  march,  159 ; 
Mazeppa  reaches  him  with  only 
a  few  men  left,  160 ;  is  cut 
off  from  communication  with 
Poland  without  provisions,  163  ; 
extreme  cold  destroys  a  part  of 


Index 


34 


his  army,  ib.  ;  miserable  condi- 
tion  of  his  soldiers,  ib. ;  anecdote 
of,  164;  receives  supplies  from 
Mazeppa,     165;    advances    on 
Pultawa,  166  ;  is  wounded,  168  ; 
battle  of  Pultawa,  169-175 ;  his 
retreat  and  escape,    175,    176; 
his    dangerous    condition,    176, 
177  5  .  finally  reaches  the  river 
Hippias,  181 ;  his  narrow  escape 
from   the  Russians,  182 ;   some 
of    his    troops     captured,    ib.  ; 
handsomely    received    by    the 
Commander    of    Bender,    183 ; 
his  letter  to  Achmet  III,   188 ; 
his  journey  across  the  desert  to 
Bender,  190 ;  his  life  and  occu 
pation  at,  102,  iQ3 ;    his  anger 
and  disappointment  at  his  treat 
ment  by  the   Porte,  194,   195  ; 
angrily  rejects  the  Sultan's  pre 
sent,    196 ;    advice   and    money 
given  him  by  new  Grand  Vizir, 
198 ;     clings    to    the     hope    of 
rousing    the    Turks  to  declare 
war  against  Russia,  199 ;  con 
trast  of,  with  Peter  the  Great, 
201,  202  ;  his  numerous  enemies, 
ib.  ;    starts    to   join    the    Vizir 
against  the  Russians,  218 ;  his 
rage     at    finding     the     treaty 
between  the  Vizir  and  the  Czar 
concluded,  225,  226  ;  rides  back 
to  Bender  in  despair,  226  ;  builds 
himself  a  large  stone  house  at 
Bender,    229 ;    Baltagi's  efforts 
to  force  him  to  depart,  229,  230 ; 
the  king  agrees  only  on  condi 
tion  of  the  Vizir's  punishment, 
231 ;  his  supplies  cut  off,  ib.  ; 
finds     difficulty   in     borrowing 
money,  231,  232 ;  petitions  the 
Porte  to  send  him  home  with 
large    army,   235 ;    letter    from 
Achmet  to,   235,   236 ;    refuses 
to  go  without  an   army,   241  ; 
his  courier    seizes    letter   from 
General  Fleming  to  the  Tartars, 
242 ;   the   Sultan  sends  money 
and  directions  for  his  departure, 
244,  245  ;  his  letters  to  Sultan 
intercepted,     245  ;     refuses     to 
listen  to  reason    or    to    move, 
250;  his  supplies  cut  off,    ib.  ; 
barricades  his  house,  251  ;  pre 
pares  for  assault,  255;    refuses 
all  advice  and  offers  of  media 
tion,   253,    254,    257,    258;    his 
courage,  260 ;  defends  his  house 


with  only  forty  followers  against 
the    Turkish    forces,    261 ;    his 
house  set  on  fire  by  assailants, 
262  ;  his  coolness,  263  ;  he  and 
his  followers  make  a  sally,  and 
are    taken    prisoners,    264 ;  his 
reception   by  the   Pasha,    265 ; 
his  chancellor  and  officers  made 
slaves,  268 ;  retains  his  natural 
and  gentle  manner  even  in  ca 
lamity,  ib.  ;  is  taken  in  a  chariot 
to  Adrianople,  260;  his  officers 
redeemed  by  Jeffreys  and   La 
Mottraye,    ib.  ;    has   a    sword 
given    him,    ib,  ;    is    angry    at 
hearing    of   the    abdication    of 
Stanislas,  271 ;  hears  that  Stan 
islas  is  a  prisoner  a  few  miles 
away,  and   sends   Fabricius  to 
him,   272 ;    is  removed    to   the 
castle    of    Demirtash,    278 ;    is 
allowed  to  reside  at  Demotica, 
279  ;  stays  in  bed  for  ten  months, 
279,  280  ;  hears  of  the  wreck  of 
his  foreign  dominions,    280 ;    is 
taken  ill,  284Jreceives  dispatches 
from  his  sister,  285  ;  sends  arro 
gant  message  to  the  Senate  in 
Sweden,     ib.  ;      determines    to 
leave  and  return  home,  ib. ;  he 
borrows    money  to    provide   a 
Swedish  Embassy  to  Constanti 
nople,    286;    receives    presents 
from  the  Sultan  before  leaving, 
287  ;  his  journey,  287,  288  ;  pre 
parations    made   for  his   enter 
tainment     in    Germany,    289  ; 
disguises  himself  and  with  one 
officer  rides  for  sixteen  days  till 
he  reaches  Stralsund,  291 ;  the 
loss  of  his  dominions,  294,  295  ; 
is  besieged  in    Stralsund,   304- 
311 ;  his  escape,  311, 312  ;  spends 
a  day  with  his  sister,  312  ;  raises 
money  and  recruits,   312,  313  ; 
invades  Norway,  313  ;  advances 
to    Christiania,    318  ;  hears    of 
Gortz    and    Gyllemburg    being 
seized,  322;  enters  Norway  again 
and  besieges  Fredericshall,  330; 
his  soldiers  die  of  cold,  ib.  ',  his 
extraordinary  powers  of  endur 
ance  and  constitution,  330,  331  ; 
his  death,  332  ;  description  of, 
334 ;  his  religious  views,  335 ; 
his  hat  in  which  he  was  killed 
preserved  at  Stockholm,  337 
Charles    Gustayus,    invades     Po 
land,    10  ;    his   conquests,  ib. ; 


342 


Index 


endeavours  to  establish  abso 
lutism,  ib.  ',  his  death,  ib. 

Charlotte,  wife  of  Stanislas, 
crowned  Queen  of  Poland,  no 

Chourlouli,  Grand  Vizir,  breaks 
his  promise  of  help  to  Charles 
XII,  194;  Poniatowski  plots 
against,  195  ;  the  Sultan's  favour 
ite  helps  towards  his  downfall, 
198  ;  is  dismissed  and  banished, 
if. 

Christian  II,  King  of  Denmark, 
6 ;  driven  from  Sweden  by 
Gustavus  Vasa,  8 

Christian  III,  King  of  Denmark, 
makes  arrangement  with  his 
brother  concerning  the  Duchies 
of  Holstein  and  Sleswick,  18 

Christine,  Queen  of  Sweden,  her 
character,  9  ;  her  resignation,  9, 
10 

Clement  XI  threatens  excom 
munication  to  those  who  assist 
at  coronation  of  Stanislas,  107 

Clergy  forbidden  by  King  of 
Sweden  to  take  part  in  politics, 
108 

Clissau,  victory  of  Swedes  at,  81 

Constantinople,  its  position  as  the 
centre  of  Christendom,  234 ; 
Swedish  and  Russian  factions 
at,  234  ;  bad  policy  of  the  Porte, 

Copenhagen,  Charles  XII's  success 
at,  43,  44 

Coumourgi-Ali-Pasha,  favourite 
of  the  Sultan,  his  history,  197  ; 
plots  downfall  of  Grand  Vizir, 
197,  198 ;  secretly  protects  the 
Russian  cause,  238,  239 ;  his 
plans,  240 ;  his  intrigues,  277, 
278  ;  made  Grand  Vizir,  284 

Cracow,  Charles  XII,  entry  of,  82 

Criminals,  Turkish  law  concerning, 
199 

DANES,  attacked  by  Steinbock  and 

his  raw  recruits,  207,  208  ;  cut 

to  pieces  by,  208 
Dantzig,  punishment  of,  by  Charles 

XII's  troops,  88 
Delecarlia     sends    deputation    to 

Regency  at  Stockholm  offering 

to  go  and  rescue  the  king,  209 
Demotica,  Charles  XII's  residence 

at,  27 8 Jr. 
Diet,  held  in  Poland  and  Lithuania, 

description  of,  64  ;  duties  of,  65  ; 

summoned  to  meet  at  Warsaw, 


70 ;  factions  in,  70,  71 ;  breaks 
up  in  disorder,  73 ;  assembled 
by  Charles  XII,  83  ;  by  Peter 
the  Great  at  Leopold,  and  Lubin, 
132,  133 

Dresden,  visit  of  Charles  XII  to 
Augustus  at,  142,  143 

ED\VIGA  EI.EANORA  of  Holstein, 

wife  of  Charles  X,  her  regency, 

14-16 

Elbing,  entered  by  Charles  XI  I,  89 
England,  her   neutral  pose,    234  ; 

secretly  favours  the  Czar,  ib.  ; 

alliance  of,  with  the  Porte,  234, 

235 
Europe,  state  of,  at  the  period  of 

Charles    XII's     return    to    his 

country,  292^". 

FABRICIUS,  envoy  of  Holstein,  251; 
is  persuaded  of  the  integrity  of 
the  Kan  and  the  Pasha,  252 ;  is 
anxious  to  mediate  for  Charles 
XII,  but  king  receives  him 
coldly,  253 ;  he  makes  a  last 
effort  to  save  the  king,  254  ;  is 
overcome  at  seeing  the  king  a 
prisoner  and  with  rent  clothes, 
268  ;  undertakes  to  ransom  the 
prisoners,  269 

Ferdinand  IV,  King  of  Denmark, 
17  ;  attacked  and  defeated  by 
Charles  XII,  40-46 ;  treaty  with, 

S',  87 ;  renews  his  claim  to 
olstein,  202 

Fleming,  General,  minister  of 
King  Augustus,  his  correspond 
ence  with  the  Kan  of  Tartary, 
242 ;  letter  of  his  seized  by 
Charles  XII's  courier,  242 

Frauenstadt,  battle  of,  115,  116 

Frederic,  Prince  of  Hesse-Cassel, 
Charles  XII  marries  his  sister 
to,  301;  accompanies  his  brother- 
in-law  in  his  expedition  into 
Norway,  314 

Fredericshall,  besieged  by  Charles 
XII,  330;  death  of  king  at,  332; 
the  siege  raised,  336 

French,  regiment  of,  taken  pri 
soners  by  Saxon  troops,  116 ; 
enter  service  of  King  of  Sweden, 
117  ;  further  notice  of,  331 

GERMANY,  its  position  at  the  be 
ginning  of  i8th  century,  203 ; 
Princes  of,  conclude  treaty  of 
the  Hague,  ib* 


Index 


343 


Gortz,  Baron,  Charles  XII's  pre 
mier,  great  scheme  of,  314,  316; 
the  Czar  approves  of  it,  317  ; 
sends  secretly  to  interview 
representatives  of  Pretender's 
party,  320;  his  intrigues  dis 
covered,  and  is  arrested  at  the 
Hague,  321,  322 ;  is  set  at 
liberty,  325  ;  his  efforts  to  effect 
a  peace  between  the  Czar  and 
Charles  XII,  326;  hatred  of 
Swedes  towards,  327, 328;  seized 
after  the  king's  death  and  be 
headed,  336,  337 

Grodno,  conference  between  Peter 
the  Great  and  Augustus  at,  113  ; 
result  of,  ib. ;  Charles  XII  enters 
town  in  pursuit  of  Czar,  149 

Grothusen,  Charles  XII's  treas 
urer,  gets  possession  by  false 
assurances  of  the  money  sent 
by  the  Sultan,  246 ;  goes  out 
alone  to  address  the  janissaries 
sent  to  take  the  King  of  Sweden, 
256  ;  is  taken  prisoner  and  ran 
somed  by  the  Pasha,  269 ;  ac 
companies  the  king  to  Adrian- 
ople,  269;  with  him  at  Demotica, 
280  ;  sent  as  ambassador  extra 
ordinary  to  the  Sultan,  286  ;  fails 
to  borrow  money  from  the  Porte, 
ib.  ;  killed  at  siege  of  Stralsund, 
308 

Gustavus  Adolphus,  his  conquests, 
8,  9  ;  his  death,  9 

Gustavus  Vasa,  7  ;  his  deliverance 
of  Sweden  from  King  Christian 
and  the  bishops,  8  j  introduces 
Lutheranism,  ib. ;  his  death,  ib. 

Gyllemburg,  Count,  Swedish  am 
bassador,  conspires  with  Baron 
Gortz,  and  is  arrested  in  London, 
320,  322  ;  set  at  liberty,  325 

HAGUE,  the,  treaty  of,  203 

Holland,  States  of,  conclude  treaty 
of  the  Hague,  203  ;  neutral  pose 
of,  234 ;  secretly  support  the 
Czar,  ib.  ;  alliance  of,  with  the 
Porte,  234,  235 

Holstein,  Duchess  of,  sister  of 
Charles  XII,  dies  of  smallpox, 
164 

Holstein,  Duchy  of,  18;  its  strug 
gle  with  Denmark,  18, 19  ;  cause 
of,supported  by  Charles  XII,  46; 
renewed  claim  of  Denmark  to, 


IBRAHIM  MOLLA,  elected  Grand 
Vizir,  379;  his  history,  ib.;  plans 
to  make  war  with  the  Russians, 
ib.  ;  is  pressed  to  death  between 
two  doors,  284 

Ishmael,  Pasha  of  Bender,  sent  to 
acquaint  King  of  Sweden  with 
the  Sultan's  resolve  that  he  must 
quit  his  territories,  241  ;  re 
ceives  letter  and  money  from  the 
Sultan  enforcing  his  orders,  244  ; 
his  fear  and  trouble  on  finding 
Grothusen  had  deceived  him, 
247  ;  his  further  interview  with 


grace  before  the  janissaries  as 
sault  the  king's  house,  257  ; 
offers  prize  to  those  who  can 
take  the  king,  260  ;  he  and  the 
Kan  fire  the  king's  house,  262  ; 
the  king  is  carried  prisoner  to 
his  quarters,  264  ;  his  reception 
of  the  king,  265,  266  ;  gener 
ously  ransoms  Grothusen  and 
Colonel  Ribbins,  269  ;  is  ac 
cused  by  De  Villelongue  and 
banished  by  the  Sultan,  276,  277 

JANISSARIES,  their  mode  of  attack, 
215 

Jeffreys,  English  envoy,  en 
deavours  to  mediate  between 
the  King  of  Sweden  and  the 
Turks,  251,  253  ;  helps  the  king 
with  money,  269  ;  with  assist 
ance  of  La  Mottraye  redeems 
the  Swedish  officers,  269 

Joseph,  Emperor  of  German)', 
accedes  to  Charles  XII's  exorbi 
tant  demands,  138-140;  signs 
treaty  in  favour  of  Silesian 
Lutherans,  140 

Joseph,  succeeds  Baltagi  as  Grand 
Vizir,  his  early  history,  233  ; 
the  creature  of  Ali-Coumourgi, 
233  ;  countersigns  the  Peace  of 
Pruth,  234  ;  is  accused  by  De 
Villelongue  to  the  Sultan  and 
deposed,  276,  277 

KAN  of  Tartary,  his  dependence 
on  the  Porte,  212,  213  ;  his 
opposition  to  the  treaty  _  be 
tween  the  Turks  and  Russians, 
224  ;  corresponds  with  the 
minister  of  King  Augustus, 
242  ;  swears  treacherously  that 


344 


Index 


lie  will  be  responsible  for  Charles 
XII's  safe  conduct,  251  ;  his 
anxiety  to  commence  the  assault 
on  the  king's  house,  256  ;  fires 
the  king's  house,  262  ;  is  ac 
cused  by  De  Villelongue  to  the 
Sultan  and  banished,  276,  277 

Konigsmarck,  Countess  of,  sent  to 
negotiate  with  Charles  XII,  74  ; 
the  king  refuses  to  see  her,  75 

Kuze-Slerp,  his  brave  defence  of 
Usedom,  302-304 

LECZINSKI.    See  Stanislas 
Leopold,     taken     by    assault     by 
Charles    XII,     100  ;    Diet    at, 
T32>  X33 

Levenhaupt,  Count,  Charles  XII's 
general  in  Russia,  147,  158  ;  his 
victory  over  the  Russians,  160- 
161  ;  is  pursued  by  the  enemy, 
161  ;  disputes  the  victory  for 
three  days  against  odds,  162, 
163  ;  reaches  the  king  without 
provisions,  163  ;  at  Pultawa, 
171,  175  ;  reaches  the  Bory- 
sthenes,  176  ;  surrenders  with 
remainder  of  troops,  178  ;  in 
sion  of 


triumphal    processi 


Czar, 


. 

Lithuania,  two  parties  in,  69,  70 
Livonia,  its  struggle  for  independ 

ence,  20,  21 
Louis  XIV,  league  against,  203  ; 

carries    on    war    after    Charles 

XII's  defeat,  203 

MARGARET  OF  VALDEMAR, 
Queen  of  Denmark  and  Nor 
way,  6 

Maryborough,  Duke  of,  interview 
with  Charles  XII,  135-7 

Mazeppa,  tale  of,  157  ;  made 
Prince  of  Ukrania,  ib.  ;  plans 
a  revolt,  157,  158  ;  his  secret 
league  with  Charles  XII,  158  ; 
his  loans  and  treasures  taken 
and  plundered,  160  ;  reaches 
Charles  XII  as  a  fugitive,  ib.  ; 
furnishes  the  king  with  neces 
saries  of  life,  165  ;  refuses  the 
Czar's  offers,  165,  166  ;  escapes 
with  Charles  XII  after  Pultawa, 
177  ;  his  death,  194 

Menzikoff,  Prince,  defeats  the 
Swedes  under  General  Meyer- 
feld,  123  ;  at  battle  of  Pultawa, 
169-175  J  comes  up  with  the 
Swedes  at  the  Borysthenes,  177, 


178 ;  the  Swedish  force  sur 
renders  to  him,  178 

Moldavians  side  with  the  Turks 
against  their  prince,  217 

Moscow,  Peter  the  Great's  tri 
umphal  entry  into,  204-206 

NARVA,  besieged  by  Peter  the 
Great,  48  ;  great  battle  of, 
49-54 ;  taken  by  assault  by 
Peter  the  Great,  no;  barbarity 
of  Russian  soldiers  at,  in 

Numan  Couprougli,  Grand  Vizir, 
his  incorruptible  honesty,  198  ; 
his  advice  to  Charles  XII,  ib.  ; 
turned  out  of  office,  209 ;  his 
answer  to  Achmet,  210  ;  retires 
to  Negropont,  ib. 

OGINSKI,  head  of  one  of  the  rival 
factions  in  Lithuania,  69,  133 

Ottoman  Porte,  state  of,  188; 
influence  of  the  Czar  at,  193, 
194 

PAIKEL,  Livonian  officer,  en 
deavours  to  save  his  life  by 
disclosing  the  secret  for  manu 
facturing  gold,  129 

Patkul,  General,  joins  the  Russian 
side,  113  ;  Czar's  ambassador  in 
Sweden,  ib.  ;  arrested  by  order 
of  Augustus,  ib.  ;  Charles  XII 
insists  on  his  release,  126 ;  his 
terrible  end,  127,  128 

Peter  the  Great,  17,  18  ;  his  con 
quests,  21 ;  his  education  and 
early  life,  24,  25  ;  his  reforms, 
26-29 ;  builds  St.  Petersburg, 
32  ;  his  barbarity,  32,  33  ;  con 
cludes  treaty  with  King  of 
Poland  against  Sweden,  34 ; 
his  defeat  at  Narva,  49-54 ; 
meeting  and  further  treaty  with 
King  of  Poland,  58  ;  takes 
Narva  by  assault,  no;  checks 
the  outrages  of  his  soldiers, 
in ;  lays  the  foundations  of 
St.  Petersburg,  ib.  ;  invites  Au 
gustus  to  conference  at  Grodno, 
113  ;  departs  suddenly  to  check 
an  insurrection,  ib.  ;  his  troops 
dispersed  by  Charles  XII  and 
Stanislas,  114,  115  ;  his  troops 
victorious  over  the  Swedes,  123  ; 
his  anger  at  and  revenge  of  the 
execution  of  his  ambassador, 
130-132  ;  enters  Poland  with 
over  60,000  men.  132 ;  his 


Index 


345 


desolation  of,  134 ;  withdraws 
into  Lithuania,  ib.  ;  flies  at  the 
approach  of  Charles  XII,  149  ; 
leaves  Grodno  by  one  gate  as 
Charles  enters  at  another,  ib.  ; 
is  driven  from  the  Berezine, 
151  ;  defeated  at  Borysthenes, 
152 ;  sees  his  country  deso 
lated  and  makes  proposals  to 
Charles  XII,  153;  the  king's 
haughty  answer,  ib.  ;  his  de 
feat  by  the  Swedes  under 
Levenhaupt,  161 ;  pursues  the 
enemy  and  brings  them  to  a 
stand,  ib.  ;  after  three  days' 
righting  his  superior  forces  gain 
the  upper  hand,  162 ;  at  Pultawa, 
169-175  ;  his  elation  at  his  suc 
cess,  170,  180;  his  admiration 
of  the  Swedish  generals,  180 ; 
cruelty  to  the  Cossack  prisoners, 
181  ;  makes  use  of  his  victory 
to  seize  other  places  and  sends 
troops  to  Poland.  201  ;  contrast 
of,  with  Charles  XII,  201, 
202 ;  agrees  to  treaty  of  the 
Hague,  203 ;  triumphal  entry 
into  Moscow,  204-206;  hears  of 
Turkish  preparations  against 
him,  215  ;  makes  a  treaty  with 
Prince  Cantemir  and  marches 
into  Moldavia,  216 ;  finds  him 
self  without  provisions,  217  ;  is 
driven  back  on  Pruth,  218  ;  his 
difficult  position,  219 ;  deter 
mines  to  attack  the  Turks, 
destroying  all  that  might  serve 
as  booty  to  the  enemy,  ib.  ',  is 
induced  by  the  Czarina  to  sue 
for  peace,  222  ;  concludes  treaty 
with  Grand  Vizir,  224,  225  ; 
fails  to  fulfil  his  promises,  232  ; 
Sultan  declares  war  against, 
239 ;  peace  again  concluded, 
241  ;  insists  on  Charles  XII 
being  sent  away,  ib.  ',  gains 
control  of  the  Baltic,  296  ;  his 
victory  over  the  Swedish  fleet, 
297  ;  triumphal  entry  into  St. 
Petersburg,  ib.  ',  supports  Baron 
Gortz's  scheme,  317  ;  his  be 
haviour  on  hearing  of  Gortz's 
arrest,  323 ;  his  proposal  of 
alliance  to  the  Regent  of  France, 
ib.  ;  his  daughter  asked  in 
marriage  for  the  Pretender,  325 
Piper,  Count,  prime  minister  of 
Charles  XII,  15,  16,  17,  41,  43, 
72,  80;  advises  Charles  XII  to 


take  the  crown  of  Poland,  91,92  ; 
negotiates  with  the  plenipotenti 
aries  of  Augustus,  121  ;  question 
as  to  whether  he  received  money 
from  the  Duke  of  Marlbprough, 
Z37)  J38  5  receives  Turkish  am 
bassador,  148;  at  Pultawa,  169, 
173  ;  his  imprisonment  at  St. 
Petersburg  and  death,  179  ;  in 
Peter  the  Great's  triumphal 
procession,  205 

Pirates,  send  to  Charles  XII  to 
make  terms  with  them,  318,  319 
Poland,  government  and  general 
condition  of,  62-67  ;  torn  by  con 
flicting  parties,  70-74  ;  embassy 
sent  by,  to  Charles  XII,  76  ; 
throne  of,  declared  vacant,  90  ; 
crown  of,  offered  to  Alexander 
Sobiesky,  92 ;  Stanislas  Lee- 
zinski  elected  and  crowned  king, 
99,  109 ;  invaded  by  Peter  the 
Great,  132 ;  two  kings  and  two 
primates  in,  ib. ',  insurrection  in, 
after  battle  of  Pultawa,  200  ; 
Augustus  returns  to,  as  king,  ib.  \ 
miserable  condition  of,  134  ;  the 
people's  fear  of  arbitrary  power, 
294 ;  force  Augustus  to  submit 
to  the  Pacta  Conventa,  ib. ',  the 
Czar  makes  himself  master  in, 
298 

Pomerania,  battles  in,  280 

Poniatowski,  General,  174, 177;  his 
designs  at  Constantinople,  189, 
193  ;  draws  up  indictment  against 
the  Grand  Vizir  and  presents  it 
to  the  Sultan,  195,  196  ;  plots 
against  the  Grand  Vizir,  196 ; 
negotiates  with  new  Grand 
Vizir,  199  ;  attempts  to  poison 
him,  ib.  ;  in  Grand  Vizir's  army 
against  the  Russians,  218;  op 
poses  the  treaty  of  peace,  224  ; 
sends  letter  to  Sultan  accusing 
the  Grand  Vizir,  232 ;  sends 
letter  of  advice  to  Charles  XII, 
258 ;  at  siege  of  Stralsund, 
308 

Posnania,  Bishop  of,  handed  over 
to  papal  legate,  102  ;  carried  to 
Saxony,  and  dies,  103 

Pretender,  the,  James  II's  son, 
plots  for  placing  him  on  the 
throne,  317,  319,  320,  325 

Prussia,  the  first  king  of,  league 
proposed  by,  to  secure  peace  and 
the  restoration  of  Charles  XII, 
270 


346 


Index 


Pruth,  Peace  of,  225,  234  ;  Sultan's 

anger  at  infraction  of,  239 
Pultawa,  great  battle  of,  169-175  ; 

RADJOUSKI,  Cardinal,  his  intri 
gues,  70,  71  ;  opposes  the  king  in 
the  Diet,  76  ;  his  manifesto,  77  ; 
flees  from  Warsaw,  ib.  ;  his 
interview  with  Charles  XII,  80  ; 
takes  his  oath  of  fealty  to  the 
latter,  83  ;  throws  off  his  mask 
and  declares  Augustus  incapable 
of  wearing  the  crown  of  Poland, 
90  ;  unable  to  oppose  the  election 
of  Stanislas,  99  ;  finds  legitimate 
excuse  for  not  consecrating  him, 
109  ;  his  death,  ib. 

Renschild,  General  under  Charles 
XII,  41  ;  defeats  Schullemburg 
at  Frauenstadt,  115,  116;  with 
Stanislas  in  Poland,  134  ;  remark 
on  the  Council  at  Dresden,  144  ; 
at  Pultawa,  169,  172 ;  taken 
prisoner,  173  ;  conversation  with 
the  Czar,  180 ;  in  triumphal 
procession  of  the  Czar,  205 

Riga,  besieged  by  the  King  of 
Poland,  46 

Rome,  Court  of,  its  policy,  102, 
107;  Charles  XII "s  disgust  with, 
140 

Russian  prisoners  massacred  by 
Charles  XI I  and  Stanislas,  117 

Ryswick,  peace  of,  14 

SAINT  PETERSBURG,  foundation 
of.  by  Peter  the  Great,  in,  112 

Sapieha,  Princess,  head  of  one  of 
the  rival  factions  in  Lithuania, 
69»  133 

Saxony,  entered  by  Charles  XII, 
117;  tax  levied  on,  118 ;  his 
method  for  protecting  the  in 
habitants  from  the  ill-conduct 
of  his  soldiers,  118,  119 ;  his 
absolute  rule  over,  120 

Schullemburg,  Count,  in  command 
of  Augustus's  troops,  104  ;  his 
plan  of  formation  in  battle,  104, 
105 ;  he  saves  his  army,  106  ; 
statue  erected  to  him  by 
Venetian  Republic,  106 ;  his 
defeat  by  General  Renschild  at 
Frauenstadt,  115.  116 

Silesia,  Charles  XII  demands 
restitution  of  privileges  to  its 
Protestant  subjects,  139,  140 

Siniawski,  Grand  General,  his 
ambition,  134 ;  heads  a  third 


party  against  Augustus  and 
Stanislas,  134,  135  ;  joins  party 
of  Augustus,  200 

Sobiesky,  Alexander,  refuses 
crown  of  Poland,  92,  93 

Sobiesky,  Jacques,  partisans  of, 
70,  72 ;  earned  off  by  Saxon 
soldiers,  oo 

Stade,  bombarded  and  burnt  by 
the  Danes,  280  ;  General  Stein- 
bock's  revenge,  283 

Stanislas  Leczinski,  appointed 
deputy  to  Charles  XII  by 
assembly  at  Warsaw,  97  ;  his 
character,  98,  nominated  King 
of  Poland,  ib.  ;  finally  elected, 
99  ;  attacked  in  Warsaw,  ici  ; 
joined  by  Charles  XII,  103  ;  his 
victory  over  Augustus,  106  ;  his 
coronation,  109  ;  Poland  entered 
by  Peter  the  Great  during  his 
absence,  132  ;  his  return  to,  and 
popularity,  134  ;  Pope  releases 
the  people  from  their  oath  of 
allegiance  to,  200 ;  agrees  to 
treaty  of  the  Hague,  203  ;  taken 
prisoner  in  the  Turkish  do 
minions  and  carried  to  Bender, 
269 ;  his  efforts  on  behalf  of 
Charles  XII,  270;  willingly 
abdicates  the  throne  of  Poland 
for  the  public  good,  270 ;  dis 
guises  himself  and  tries  to 
reach  the  King  of  Sweden, 

271  ;  is  taken  and  well  treated, 

272  ;  Fabricius  allowed  to  bring 
him   a  message    from    Charles 
XII,    272  ;    Pasha   sends   him 
an  Arabian  horse,  273  ;  Sultan 
finally      releases      him,       ib.  ; 
Charles   XII   assigns    him   the 
revenue  of  the  Duchy  of  Deux 
Ponts,  288  ;  retires  to  Weissem- 
burg,  289 

Steinbock,  General,  heads  an  army, 
chiefly  composed  of  raw  recruits, 
to  pursue  the  Danes,  207  ;  cuts 
the  enemy  to  pieces,  208  ;  defends 
Pomerama,  280;  his  victory 
over  the  Danes  and  Saxons  at 
Gadebesck,  280,  281  ;  he  burns 
Altena,  282 ;  his  answer  to 
complaints  of  his  cruelty,  283  ; 
loses  his  army  and  is  taken 
prisoner,  284 

Stralsund,  siege  of,  304-311 
Sweden,  its  climate,  3 ;  its  fauna, 
4  ;  its  soil,  5  ;  its  ancient  con 
stitution,   5,    6;    conquered    by 


Index 


Margaret  of  Valdemar,  6 ;  its 
later  history,^. ;  treaty  of  Russia, 
Denmark  and  Poland  against, 
34  5  >ts  government  by  a  Re 
gency  during  Charles  XI I 's  ah- 
sence,  206  ;  loses  all  her  foreign 
possessions,  295,  298  ;  scarcity  of 
male  population  in,  298  ;  people 
heavily  taxed,  313 ;  their  readi- 
ness  to  help  the  king,  ib. 
Swedes,  their  stature  and  endur 
ance,  4;  fate  of  those  taken 
prisoners  at  Pultawa,  178,  179; 
sold  as  slaves  at  Constantinople 
194.;  their  love  of  war  and  of 
their  king,  207  ;  their  inveterate 
hatred  of  the  Danes,  208  ;  thou 
sands  made  slaves,  298 

TARTARS,  description  of,  213 ;  their 

extreme  hospitality,    213,    214; 

receive  no  pay  in  war  but  their 

booty,  214 
Tartary.     See  Kan 
Thorn,  King  of  Poland,  retires  to, 

85  ;  siege  of,  by  Charles  XII, 

89 
Turkish  troops,  description  of,  214 

215 
Turks,  embassy  from,  to  Charles 

XII,  148  ;  present  the  king  with 

one  hundred   Swedish    soldiers 

who  had  been  redeemed  by  the 

Grand  Master,  148 


347 

Ulrica  Eleanora,  Princess,  sister 
of  Charles  XII,  asked  to  take 
the  Regency  in  Sweden,  285; 
refuses  to  make  peace  with  Den 
mark  and  resigns,  ib.;  sends  ac 
count  of  affairs  to  her  brother, 
26. 

UtedT'  T^aken  from  the  Swede* 
by  the  Prussians,  303 

VALIDA,  Sultana,  favours  Swedish 
cause,  2ii 

Villelongue,  Monsieur  de,  his  bold 
action  on  behalf  of  Charles  XII, 
274  ;  presents  petition  to  the 
Sultan  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  275, 
276  ;  has  interview  with  Sultan, 
W.;  is  released,  277;  taken 
prisoner  at  siege  of  Stralsund, 
309 

WARSAW,  Charles  XII  appears 
before,  79 ;  battle  near,  81 ;  Au 
gustus  enters  it  as  a  victorious 
sovereign,  102;  coronation  of 
Stanislas  in,  109 ;  entered  in 
triumph  by  Augustus,  123 

Winter  of  1709,  memorable,  163 ; 
Charles  XII  loses  2,000  men  on 
one  march,  ib. 

Wirtemberg,  Prince,  taken  pris 
oner  at  Pultawa,  173 


,  its  need  of  a  protector 
in  one  of  the  surrounding  States, 
156 ;  seeks  protection  from 
Poland,  ib.;  from  Russia,  156. 
157 


if  a  protector        ZAPOKAVIANS,  description  of,  166 
ndmg  States,        Zobpr,  Count,  Emperor's  chamber- 

wtinn        ft. J,^     },{«.    quarre(    wjth     Swedish 

ambassador  and  its  results,  138- 
140 


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